The government announced a big increase in doctors allowances.

The Star ,today's front page brings a lot of cheers from doctors and would be doctors ,because the government announced an increase in allowances for doctors as high as 400 % .Call allowance for Medical Officers will be doubled from RM.75.00 to RM 150.00 ,while that of houseman goes up to 400% from RM.25.00.With this increase a young houseman can take home an extra of about of RM.700.00 - 800.00 per month .This means a young houseman earn an amount as follows :
Basic salary RM 2137.00
Critical allowance RM 500.00
Service allowance RM 170.00
Housing allowance RM 210.00
Call allowance RM 800.00 ( average )
Total income RM 3817.00

So , a doctor's pay is not bad now a days .I hope our daughter Eileen would study hard so that she could qualify as a doctor .I am sure the doctors remuneration would be better than today , in five years to come . The government have got no choice but to give doctors a better deal in order to avoid them from leaving the government service .

I still hope and pray that Fareen would be successful in her application to the medical/dentistry matriculation class at UIA .The result of her application would be known any time now .

In another page of The Star, the Minister of Health Dr.Chua Soi Lek announced that Malaysia is still short of 677 dentists. In order to overcome the shortage the government need to train 375 dentists each year while currently the government could only afford to train 150 dentists each year .So ,if Fareen is to study dentistry ,it would be good for her too .( Her second choice happens to be dentistry ).Any way ,I leave it to her to make her own choice .

I am alone in the house today.

I am alone in the house .Wife and Fareen has gone to JB again this morning.( We came back from JB last Sunday ,22nd.May 2005 ).Fareen's inconsiderate lecturer phoned us yesterday ,requesting Fareen to come back to UTM to sit for her Mathematics paper which she missed last Friday because she suddenly fell ill .She would be sitting for her Mathematics paper tomorrow ,27th.May 2005 . They left by bus .They preferred to go by bus although I offered to drive them to JB .Obviously , they wanted to stay longer in JB.If I go , the most I could stay there would be 2 nights .I hope and pray that she would do well in her Mathematics paper .
I did not go any where today except to the bus station in the morning and for a while at the Makro .I have not been to our new house for 3 days ,otherwise I would be there almost everyday .I have to be there to ensure that work done to the house is according to our tastes .It is now in it's final stage of completion .

For dinner I just had a piece of home prepared burger .I do not feel like going out .

Going to JB to pick up Fareen .

Received news today that our daughter Fareen suddenly fell ill and vomitted ,this morning while she was about to sit for her Mathematics paper for her final exams in UTM and she was rushed to hospital by one of her lecturers .Luckily , she was soon released from the Hospital .Of course she was given medication . However, she missed the Mathematics paper . Any way according to her the lecturer told her not to worry because she would be given a chance to sit for the paper alone later .The university would be writing to her to inform her of the date when she would be sitting for the Mathematics paper .

I think she was not having her food regularly because she would have to buy the food at the cantin . You know lah sometimes this lady 'malas' to go to the cantin .Probably ,she could have skipped her dinner or breakfast . I always reminded my children to have their meals regularly and and to take good quality food .Where food is concerned ,there should not be any compromise .As the saying says ,a healthy person makes a healthy mind which is vital to students especially during examinations .

Fareen is supposed to complete her 'matriculation course' at UTM this Saturday 21st.May 2005 . She is supposed to be back at the university to begin her 1st. Year of her degree course in late June 2005. I would be driving to JB tomorrow to pick her up . This also means that I would be missing my class at UM this Saturday . I guess I have to sacrifice for the sake of our daughter . On our way home I hope to stop at Port Dickson to fetch my trousers and shirts from my regular tailor there .

We are supposed to move to our new home in Klang at the end of August or early September 2005 .We hope to have our Ramadhan fast and Idilfitri celeberation there .

Feeling miserable today.( Jottings meant for personal perusal only )

I feel so miserable today . Having had a big quarrel with my wife over a trivial matter - I was having a perception that she was rude to me , which of course she denied it.I do not know off late ,I feel very sensitive .Perhaps due to my age ,that I easily get upset over small matters.We are of the same age ,therefore we should take cognisance of our situations. The problem with her is that she refused to tow the line of which being a wife ,I feel she should.She insist that everything should be done according to her ways .But I do not mind that much because I am very practicable and I can compromise .One thing that irritates me ,of which I could not take it any more ,is her rudeness .I do not know why off late she tends to be blunt with her words - without consideration for it's sensitivity at all .It really hurts to hear her words .Although the words are not really hurting if said in a nice way , instead if it is said in such a way, it tends to be very brutal .

I had warned her to be very careful with her words and exclaimations so as not to hurt me .But my efforts were ( as the Malay proverb says ) just like pouring water on to a yam leaf. She keeps on repeating the same mistakes. The problem is she does not think before blurting out her words . Worst of all , she refused to accept her mistakes and thus the mistakes keeps on repeating .Each time she claim that there is nothing wrong with her words .I am not crazy as to simply get upset for nothing ?

Sometimes I feel like not to talk to her .Infact ,I did tried but it made matters worst and I felt pathetic towards her .I think she needs counselling but she attends religious talks/classes at the local surau regularly .I do not know what else to do .I feel so miserable and hopeless .Perhaps I should leave the house for some times in order to cool things off .Ya , I should go on my exotic trip to Central Asia , as had been planned .Any way ,I would still have to wait untill our house is completed .In the mean time what can I do ?Oh God ,please help us .

Another petrol and diesel price hike .

For the past weeks the Malaysian press and the other news media have been highlighting the shortage of diesel in the country.It was said that the shortage was due to the smuggling of diesel to neighbouring countries such as Thailand and the Philippines. There was a hue and cry over the shortage and many lorries and buses and other public transport vehicles had to be off the road .That incapable Minister of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs pretended to be too concerned by doing spot-checks at some petrol stations .He has been giving statements to the effect that the government has been too much burdened with subsidies on petrol and diesel and that the government would soon find a solution to the problem .(Perhaps the solution was to increase the price of petrol and diesel ?).

Yesterday, ( Wednesday ) evening after the Cabinet meeting the government announced another price hike for petrol -10 sens and diesel -20 sens .The government explained that it had to increase the price in order to reduce the subsidies on petrol and diesel gradually .The last price hike was just a few months ago in .In March 2005 the government announced a price increase on fares of public transport such as taxis, buses and lorries which had caused the prices of essential goods to go up too.

The last price hike had caused the fares for buses , ferries , train and lorries to increase significantly . What would be the effect of todays petrol and diesel price hike ? Definitely another increase on fares and essential goods ? To the ministers and members of parliement this would be alright because the government had just announced a big pay rise for them .Fixed income people especially pensioners like me would be worst hit by the present scenario . We simply could not tighten our belt any more because it is already tightened to the limits .No other choice, we have to change our spending habits, otherwise we would end up with heavy debts .

Malaysians should voice our dissatisfaction with the way the government is administrating the country .As responsible citizens we should not just keep quiet or worst still be agreeable with the governments action .How can each time they want to increase the price of petrol and diesel ,they put the blame on the huge subsidies ? Our country is an oil producing country . Why shouldn't the people enjoy a slightly lower price of petrol and diesel than any other countries ? Why don't the government blame on the subsidies when the price of proton cars is much cheaper overseas than in Malaysia ? Why don't the government blame on subsidies when the price of palm oil , rubber and other exported commodities are much cheaper in this country than those exported ?Further more it was diesel that was experiencing the shortage , why need to increase the price of petrol ? Doesn't this looks like that the shortage was superficial and that it was engineered by the government to justify the price increase of petrol and diesel ???

I am now suggesting that Ministry be just called Ministry of Domestic Trade minus the Consumer Affairs for reason that it is not protecting the consumers interests at all .

Today , most newspapers wrote that the Lorry Transport Owners Association are proposing an increase in fares of about 40% .This ,if approved by the government would certainly lead to another big inflation .

Labour Day - May Day ( 1970s )

Today is 1st.of May. It is Labour Day .It's a public holiday , a holiday for workers to rejoice, for on that day their struggle to be recognised as a force to be reckoned finally gained footing .They also won the right for an 8 hour a day work .Otherwise the workers were left to the mercy of the employers. However most of the trade unions those days were infiltrated by the leftists/socialists/communists elements.They took the oppotunity during the workers day celeberation and other days of communist significants , to attack and murder Police officers .

Although the Emergency in this country was lifted in 1960 , the Communist threat were still lurking up to the 1980s .In the 1970s especially , there were a number of murders of Police officers .Police officers were ambushed and shot while coming out of their houses , while having coffee in coffee shops ,while walking to their cars parked in secluded areas ,while opening their house doors to strangers and etc. A few of my colleagues were slained that way .

I remember those days we had to carry firearms wherever we went .We had to change routes on our way to and from our homes to avoid being ambushed .We were told to avoid frequenting public places and not to straight away open our house doors whenever there is a knock from outside . Our wives too were encouraged to go for shooting practice so that they can use the firearms during emergency .Inspite of the frequent attacks/shootings , our spirits were high .Each year during Labour Day and other days of communist significants we had to be on standby and sometimes had to accompany the Special Branch to make raids on suspected communist hideouts .

In the 1970s my two boys were still very young and they did not know anything , while my two daughters were not yet born .Only after the 1980s that the country was really free from the communists threats .I am glad no untoward incident on me and I am glad too that I survived till my retirement. To my colleagues who had to die defending the nations integrity, may you rest in peace .You died honourably .

Although I am now retired , I still remember vividly how life was in the 1970s .We were then in Johor - Muar , Segamat and Johor Bahru. There wasn't much development then .Inspite of that however we lived quite comfortable .It was the prime period of my life as I was still young and energetic .Thirty years ago is as if it was just like yesterday .

We do not go any where except stay at home during this long week end holidays . Our apartment in Port Dickson is being borrowed by my brother in-law Zainal from Johor Bahru .They are here to do the ' merisek ' ( proposal ) for one of his nephews in Nilai .