Konsortium Bus Driver Abuses Passengers

I just received this horrendous video through email and it is leaving a bad taste in my mouth. If you do not see the video below, you would require a Quicktime or RealPlayer plugin or some other players to view the file which is in 3gp format. You can also try VLC, a player that can play almost any media file including 3gp formats. You can download the video file here.

This was how a Konsortium bus driver threatened his passengers in the bus. The bus driver stopped the bus halfway and took out a wooden stick to threaten two foreign passengers who were talking a bit loud but didn't think it was wrong. In fact, this driver also threw away one of the passengers' shoe in the first place because he said passengers do not have the right to take off their shoes in the bus. He also demanded the said passenger to leave the bus.

The information of the bus are as follows:

1. Bus number PFR 8862
2. The bus is from KL to Penang (departure on 29th May 2006 at 6.30pm)
3. Incident happened at 8.12pm on 29th may 2006

As a person who depends on such travel buses to commute between cities, being a very frequent passenger on these travel buses during my undergradute days and a supporter of Konsortium buses, I find this incident appalling! It is immaterial what the foreign passengers allegedly did. It is immaterial that the bus driver was having a bad day or something like that. The bottom line is this shouldn't have happened at all. It really gives us a very bad image especially when it happens to tourists!!!

So what if they did talk quite loud that probably bothered the driver since they were seated right behind him. Isn't it their right to talk? The driver could have just politely ask them to talk softer, right? And since when are we not allowed to take off our shoes on the bus? More often than not, I would take off my shoes as I feel it is more comfortable that way (no, I don't have smelly feet or stinky socks! :P). Also, I think it helps in preventing Deep Vein Thrombosis too (if I'm not mistaken).

Whatever it is, what the driver did was totally wrong and should be ashamed of his actions. If he doesn't get reprimanded for his actions, I will be truly horrified. He has no right whatsoever to do what he did in the video. If the information provided above is correct, I hope something will be done about this.

Please forward this page to your family and friends so that more will be made aware of this incident. Maybe from now on, I will seriously consider not taking Konsortium buses anymore (although I do admit this can happen to any bus company).

UPDATE: After viewing the video again and again, trying to figure out what the driver was mumbling about in the video, it seems that he was mad that the foreigners allegedly put their feet near where his head was and became livid when the foreigners kept laughing/giggling. Another passenger was heard calming down the driver and advising the foreigners not to put their legs near the driver's head. However, that still does not justify his actions.

Related articles:

• Grumpy Uncle On Hong Kong Public Bus
• Another Case Of Bus Driver Abusing Passenger

Keywords: Konsortium bus driver threaten intimidate abuse passenger 3gp video Malaysia bus uncle Hong Kong

Taylor Hicks Is 5th American Idol

It finally happened. The Soul Patrol reigned supreme at the 5th American Idol Finale. Taylor Hicks is crowned the 5th American Idol and only the second male contestant to have done so. My gut feelings were right on again, unfortunately. With yesterday's performance being the deciding factor, Taylor definitely had a bigger chance of winning since he definitely chose a better debut song than Katharine McPhee and performed better than her too. Make no mistake, that was the only song that I felt he really stepped up to the plate and performed like a winner until his silly, childish antics at the end that he always does with every of his other performances. Dude, that's not soul...that's someone suffering from acute constipation or something! Please don't do that! It gives me nightmares!!!


Trying to act cute?!? Oh please!

Katharine's performance came all too late when she really outshone Taylor during the Season Finale Results Show. She really rocked today but it was all too late. America had already decided before the show. Her beauty didn't manage to do enough. She defnitely didn't lack talent but her age showed as she was clearly too jittery yesterday but her rendition of "Somewhere Over The Rainbow" was magnificient! In the end, the Soul Patrol poured cold water on McPheever's dreams of being crowned the next American Idol.


McPheever thumped by Soul Patrol

It's not all bad, really. At least now there's another male American Idol, right? Right? RIGHT?!? I just don't know. Frankly, I would have preferred another male contestant instead. I will definitely want to get his debut song but I just don't feel compelled to listen to his other songs. I admit not watching every second of this season's American Idol but I've definitely seen enough to be able to judge and Taylor is not that much better than Katharine, seriously. He performed better on the night but Katharine was definitely his match. No MTV please!!!


Katharine and Taylor during the Top 3

I hope this pose of Katharine will reflect her comeback like the phoenix rising from the ashes. It does look like it, no? I seriously hope we'll hear more from her. I definitely won't mind seeing more of her too. More of her performance la....what were you thinking?!? But she's hot, isn't she? ;)


(pictures from American Idol)

A Week Of Season Finales

This is going to be a really hectic week for TV Land as a few prominent shows will screen their two hour season finales and close another chapter of their story. Reader discretion advised - some may consider what's written below as spoilers.

First up, season 2 of Desperate Housewives will come to an end. Two hours seems a little short considering so many issues left unresolved. What happens to Andrew? Will Andrew come back during the season finale to kill her mother or do something to make her pay for abandoning him? (I really think this is a big possibility but she is institutionalised at the moment though) How will Susan's love life end up to be? (like this is ever going to be answered :P) How about Paul Young? What will his story be like? How will poor Lynette put her life back together after her shocking discovery? Let's not forget the most important issue for season 2 - the Applewhites! Will they manage to sneak off again? Looks like we'll have to wait for season 3 if we want all of these answered unless they compressed everything into two hours which is highly unlikely. It should be a good season finale for DH and as before, eagerly awaiting the next season to unfold.

Next up, we have season 5 of 24. Frankly speaking, I just can't get enough of this show. It is really that good and this season has been phenomenal! It is without a doubt the best season ever! Jack Bauer, the all-conquering hero for this show has gone up against many badass criminals in the past but no one would have guessed the next person he goes against with was none other than the President of the United States himself! The scriptwriters should really get huge chunks of bonuses for their well-written storylines and plots. There's more twists in the plot than in McDonald's curly fries! :P The season finale should be great and like always, Jack will eventually save the day...or will it be different this time around? Well, we know there will be many seasons of 24 to go but each season is losely connected to the other so we will have a conclusion this week.



Season 5 of American Idol pits Taylor Hicks against Katharine McPhee. Who will be the next American Idol? I seriously hope it would be Katharine McPhee instead of Taylor Hicks. I can see Katharine emulating the very first and only successful American Idol, Kelly Clarkson in making it big. The rest has been really a flop and Taylor Hicks will fall into that category too if god-forbids he does get crowned the next American Idol. Please for all that is good...let it be Katharine McPhee!!! However, my gut feeling tells me it will be Taylor Hicks. Oh well, at least I got it right by saying it would be a guy's year this season! ;)



To wrap things up, season 2 of Lost will end this season with many questions still left unanswered since it is confirmed there will be a season 3. Personally, this show has turned into a real drag. There's hardly anything new or interesting to discover in this show. It has become really monotonous with very little interesting twists in the plot. Thankfully that all changed in the last few episodes leading up to this season finale. I'm hoping for a good season finale but something tells me this show going into season 3 is just stretching it a little bit too far. I hope I'm wrong but I think it's already going downhill.

There probably are other shows wrapping up this week but these are only the few shows that interests me at the moment or that I have time to watch. Anyway, it's good that I can look forward to more time available to myself as things are coming thick and fast at the moment. I hope I'll be able to find time to write-up a season review of the shows after watching the season finales.

Here's to a great ending for all these shows.

(pictures from various sources of the Internet)

The Da Vinci Code Furore

I just don't understand what's up with all the controversy of The Da Vinci Code movie. Without fail, there will be articles in the newspapers to debunk claims in the movie. Also, there will be frequent calls by the Catholic church to boycott the movie. Is that really necessary? Don't they realise that what they are actually doing is provide free promotion for the movie? Don't they realise that this will only make more people want to watch the movie and read the book? Don't they realise that they are actually making Dan Brown so much richer?!?

Without a doubt the novel was very well written. So well written that people reading the novel will actually believe the contents of the novel. It really made me think about what was written and what was already known to us before reading the novel. Well, at least I knew it was a work of FICTION (a good one I might add) and the author did write at the beginning of the book what was factual in the novel. So, isn't it clear enough that everything else isn't? Even on the book it is written FICTION or is it so difficult for many people not to understand the meaning of the word FICTION? If someone can't even grasp the concept of a fiction novel, there's no point telling that someone what is right or wrong because most likely that someone will be unable to grasp what you are trying to tell him/her too.

It is stated that this movie is based on the novel by Dan Brown. Really, there is nothing wrong if the producer/director decides not to put a message in the movie that this movie is fictional. They will most likely go to the novel and realise when looking through the book that it indeed just fiction. Seriously, how many movies have you seen that states it is a fictional movie? I mean, aren't most a work of fiction? Only those that are based on true stories do I realise them placing a message saying so. Why should this movie be any different?

I would have to say that the movie would be good but probably not have the same effects as the novel itself. I just couldn't put down the novel, really. It was just full of suspense and you just couldn't get enough of it. That's why it has been the #1 New York Times Bestseller, even now! All because it was so well written and kudos to the author for that. It even has a spillover effect on Dan Brown's prequel to The Da Vinci Code - Angels & Demons - which I didn't find that good compared to The Da Vinci Code.

Google's Da Vinci Code Quest was really easy but maybe that's just due to my liking for codes and puzzles. I just didn't like the curator job series that required you to clean up the paintings by pairing up the mess on the paintings. I felt that was the most difficult part of the quest especially the last two. The rest were just plain sailing. ;)

I don't know if I will be able to catch the movie but I'm sure I will watch it one way or another, probably very much later from now after everything has settled down but seriously, is this movie really worth getting all worked up? It is just a movie based on a well-written fictional novel!

(picture from SonyPictures)

A Huge Snake Was At My House!!!

OK, this post is way overdue. Sorry to those who have been waiting eagerly for this post to go up. Was too busy (and lazy :P) to get it posted.

On May Day which was also the anniversary of this blog, we took the opportunity of the long weekend to do some seriously needed housework and we worked on the garden that evening. So did our neighbours whose garden was much more overgrown compared to ours.

Two things will happen when one particular neighbour does some lawnwork which I don't particularly like. Firstly, it is how they discard the grass, leaves and all by fire. Yes, it's open burning and you can understand why I'm not exactly ecstatic at the idea of them choking my lungs. I will discuss this further in a future post.

Another would be that my house will receive some "visitors" that migrated from their lawn. Usually, the "visitors" would be snakes. This has happened quite a few times and mostly they were very small in size which we could catch ourselves and release them at a safe location. This time however, it wasn't exactly the same as always. The "visitor" this time was one we had never encountered before!!! It was a PYTHON!!!


Can you spot the snake?


See how big the head is?

The snake must have liked how neat and tidy our lawn was after we cleared it up, so it decided to come over for the night. You can see how it is coiled up so nicely, so I can't be that wrong with that assumption. :P I wasn't around when this happened so I'm just reconstructing the scenario as best I can. One of my neighbours' maid spotted its tail outside my house fence and started shouting and screaming knowing that it was going to be a huge serpent since the exposed tail was already that long! The commotion she created attracted the attention of everyone in the neighbourhood and my brothers went to have a look at the snake and was ready to do the usual, as in catch the snake and release it somewhere else. When they saw how huge it was, they immediately called 994. No chance of catching this snake on our own this time. :P

Three firemen came some time later and went about catching the snake.






The process of catching the snake


That is one seriously long and huge snake!!! Scary shit!


Python safely locked in the cage


Smiles all around after a job well done?


Snake in cage being taken away

I've always thought that after they caught the snakes, they will release it somewhere safe. Little did I know that they will sell the snake for body parts and pocket the earnings which could amount to hundreds of ringgit! Now, that's terrible! That totally explains their smiling faces after the successful capture! Anyway, nothing that I can do about the situation either. It's not that I can leave the python lying around in my lawn, right? :P

Well, this is definitely an episode to remember. Wished I was there to experience it all especially seeing my mom jumping from chair to chair due to her phobia of snakes and everything crawly (yes, even worms). ;)

Male Chauvinist Pig At Its Worst

I can't believe editors at The Star actually allowed this letter to be printed!

House-husbands can lead to topsy-turvy homes

JUST when people think that husbands being homemakers is such a new and great idea, please spare some thoughts for the children.

What kind of a role model would the house-husband make for a growing boy?

He will probably grow up to be a feminine male and gay before long.

The reality is, whosoever brings home the bread will inevitably speak louder and have the last say.

We ought to be keeping the status quo and not advocating something topsy-turvy. Wives are to submit to their husbands.

I cannot picture how a breadwinner wife submitting to her homemaker husband.

CTH,
Kuala Lumpur.

Hello?!? What century are you living in CTH? Keeping the status quo? Eventually grow up to be a feminine male and gay before long?? Wives are to submit to their husbands???

Someone should just shoot this idiot and make this world a better place. I look forward to a future where I would be able to retire young or leave my job to spend more time with my children. Will that screw up my family? Will my home be topsy-turvy then?

If we love Desperate Housewives so much...


...why can't we show the same love for househusbands?!?


Okok...maybe that's not such a good idea, after all! *pukes*

But seriously, what's wrong with househusbands? Is it a crime to be a househusband? Is it a sin? Is it wrong at all? No, it is not and those who think it is should just hang themselves.

Is This Right?

I find this blog entry by Kenny Sia quite disturbing. I've been an avid reader of his blog since last year due to his wisecracks and intelligent writing but I just don't rate this blog entry very highly.

I've always been against corruption. To me, it's a disease worse than cancer. Sure, we are able to 'save' RM570 by offering a small amount of 'duit kopi' but this action only encourages more Malaysians to follow suit and the police to continue this shameful practice. Yeah, we get to escape with just a RM30 'fine' now but in reality, due to our vote of confidence and support of the actions of corrupt officials by offering bribes, we are in fact losing millions (if not billions) of public funds due to corrupt practices.



True that the pay these police officers take home is really low and that probably is one of the major reasons for them turning to corrupt ways but it takes two to tango. If there is a willing buyer, there will be a willing seller. If there is a willing person to offer a bribe, there will always be a person to accept that bribe. Personally, I would rather pay the fine than fill the pockets of corrupt officials. Let's face it, it ain't going to any "Police Retirement Fund" or "Feed My Hungry Children Fund". It's going into some "Overfill My Tummy Now Fund" or "1001 Ways To Waste My Duit Kopi Fund" like eating a larger plate of nasi kandar or buying a new expensive 3G handphone which he has no use of and would probably not understand how to use most of the functions. Of course, there are no certainties that the fine I pay will be utilised efficiently by the Government but I'm more willing to take my chances on that option. At least I have a clear conscience.

Obviously there's still much to be done apart from the useless Anti-Rasuah badges and car stickers to reform the police force in this country to reach those standards set by the police force in Singapore and Hong Kong but we as Malaysians should reform too. We humans are very selfish beings. We always think of now, not later. We always care of what affects us this very moment or the near future and do not care of the consequences down the road in the distant future. That is for the people in the future to tackle. That's for the people in the future to handle. Our only concern now is to ensure there is no problem now. If our actions causes the people in the future to face a bigger problem, that's their problem. This is the mentality we have to change if we are seriously thinking of progressing forward. Third-World Mentality? Try fourth, fifth or sixth.

Kenny might not be afraid of ACA knocking on his front door but the entry really puts Malaysians in a bad light. It reflects badly on us because it is as if bribing Government officials is an acceptable practice here in Malaysia. It may be somewhat widespread but it is definitely not an acceptable practice and is punishable by law. I hope Kenny does not eventually find himself in hot soup since I still love reading his blog although I do not agree with what he did. He was probably naive to have posted that entry up.

Remember, just because most people are doing it does not mean it is right. This post is not meant to diss Kenny or anyone who supports bribery (it's your choice and I respect it however wrong it may be). This is merely a post for us to reflect on ourselves, to reevaluate our attitudes on certain matters. Ask yourself - is this right?

01:02:03 04-05-06

Unless you live for another 100 years, this is probably your only chance of experiencing this numerical phenomenon. Yea, yea....it's one of those numbers thingy again like 050505 and 20.05.2005. Anyway, here's leaving my mark for this 'special' event. I'm going to go sleep now. :P

Oh, here's some more blogging comics for you. :)










(click to enlarge)

UPDATED: added the other installments of the comic...just love this series on blogging! :)

(pictures from Seattle Post-Intelligencer)

You Are Denis Law!

Dear KS,

Thanks for taking part in our quiz, we hope you enjoyed it. So then, which Manchester United Player are you? Well...

You are... Denis Law
Click here to see your player in action

You're a fierce competitor who puts 100% into everything you do. Passionate and determined, you understand that success only comes once you realise where your heart really lies. You're not fazed by anything, and your fearlessness often catches opponents off guard. And with a ball at your feet you can achieve things that seem impossible. In fact, on the football field 'you ARE the law'.

Your confidence can sometimes be mistaken for arrogance but your faith in your ability is justified - especially on the pitch. Always one step ahead of the game, you seem to be able to anticipate what players are going to do, even before they know themselves. A law unto yourself, you can sometimes be a bit fiery. But you're a likeable character who people warm to. In fact, you could say you're a king amongst men.

Is this cool or what?!? I admit I would rather be George Best (for his class and skills), Eric Cantona (for his aura of supremacy) or David Beckham (for his looks, fame and money) but being Denis Law is denifinitely not that bad after all! It definitely beats being Djemba-Djemba or David Bellion! :P So, who are ya, who are ya? Find out here. (ManUtd fans only, of course) ;)

This Blog Is One!

Yup! From the humble beginnings 365 days ago and 427 blog entries later (and not forgetting my pet projects "08online", "Something Smells Fishy..." and "Air Itam United"), this blog has been in existence for one whole freaking year! Whopee! Time to celebrate! Hmm...but how to celebrate?


Pop the champagne? CHEERS!!!


Kneel down and do it the Homer Simpson way? WOOHOO!!!


Shout emphatically like the woman above? BOOYAH!!!


Or maybe choose the path taken by the man above?!?
Ok, ok...maybe that's taking it a little bit too far.... (shudders in fear) :P

It has been a long and eventful year indeed. If not for my recent busy schedule and the enforced sabatical due to Blogger's faulty splog detection algorithm, this blog could have easily passed the 500 entries mark! Yes, I had that much nonsense to say. :P

Starting from this year, I've changed the way I blog. Entries have been far and between (more obvious in the past few weeks) compared to daily and frequent blogging in 2005. I've decided to be more particular in my writing (as if I wasn't particular enough! :P). I've decided to write more from the heart on topics that matters to me. It was part of my New Year's resolution, you see (which included having more pictures in my entries). Due to that, entries have increased in length much to the horror of some readers but delight to some others! Hey, you can't please everybody, right? :P



The most popular entry seems to be Tong Hua (Fairy Tale) which continue to receive daily hits by fans of Michael Wong. Can't blame them really, it is a wonderful song! Some other popular entries include the Tammy NYP sex video scandal, the Malaysian Police ala Abu Ghraib controversy and the recent wardrobe malfunction at Lakme India Fashion Week. These three I put down to the 'curious minds' for their popularity. ;)



In the same time period, the nation lost two promininent figures (Datin Seri Endon and Tun Ghafar) and I lost a friend to a car accident. May they all rest in peace. London received the rights to host the 2012 Olympics and was immediately rocked by explosions and devastation the following day. The saddest part of this tragedy was the death of an innocent man mistaken to be one of the London suicide bombers and the outrage after more details were revealed about the shooting of that innocent man.



Petrol prices were increased three time; in May and July 2005, and most recently by a whopping 30 sen in February 2006. All the price hikes were not well received by Malaysians but the aftermath of the most recent price hike was the most devastating and still could be felt to this very day.

I did consider quitting during the enforced sabatical but I guess that's behind me now. I've not been blogging very regularly lately and this might go on for a while longer but rest assured, this blog will still be updated for those who suffer from JSYK-withdrawal-syndrome. :P

I've enjoyed my first year blogging (although I did drag my feet before deciding to jump right in) and I just can't wait to see what the future will bring. Thank you all for your support and I look forward to blogging for many years to come (I can just hear my detractors shuddering :P).

(pictures from various sources of the Internet)