Stupid to buy a car?

Yes, car is a liability.

But when you need it, especially when the public transport is poor, it has become a necessity.

Of course it's stupid to buy a car just to show off your status.

"You buy local car (Malaysian context), you are LAU YAA.' some say.

(removed. Because he is my friend and my brother).

Others, break the bank to buy German cars. Cheapest available is the Volkswagen Polo Sedan.

Not as fast as Polo TSI, the CKD version is quite affordable so everyone who likes German cars would be enticed by it.

Cars are so expensive in Malaysia. And yet people buy Porsche Panamera. Actually it doesn't matter if you are a fan and if you really can afford it. But hey come on, it's stupid if you buy a car to please others.

Buy a car to please YOURSELF.

I am driving a 2008 Camry. Never in my life I would imagine buying a Camry. No, not because I'm an anglophile like some people. It's because growing up, I managed to see how my father, who is a fan of Mercedes started so humbly buying his first Mercedes, a second hand 190E. Since then, I became a fan. A former classmate Pajai told me how his father changed from one Camry to the another. A snob as I was, I just gave him a condescending smirk.

Now, I'm driving a Camry! It's just one helluva reliable car.

So why I think it's not stupid for me to buy a car? This topic was preordained by a post on Facebook by the great property investor Faizul Ridzuan (Paikor as he is known). He was tagging a link to a website encouraging people to manage money better. Here in Riyadh, the car prices are so cheap. I bought the car on second hand and it was also sold below market price. I was that lucky to be offered the car by a fellow Malaysian here in Riyadh. Not only I love my first car, I also had it repaired cosmetically.

I guess it's just if you have the passion for cars, it's not really stupid to buy one that you like, as long as your conscience is clear. You might want to prioritize in life but hey, why keep so much money if you don't really use it?

So there's no really right or wrong. (removed).

Bandar Puncak Alam (Shah Alam 2)

My great father bought a house here in Bandar Puncak Alam for me because he knew the house prices would increase and we would not be able to afford it. It was bought for only RM150,000 in 2005 and wanted us to be thankful so we went to clean it almost every fortnight.

I remember cleaning the lawn and fixing the lamps and water system. It was the first time I knew about property but I was only in university back then.

Now after about 8 years, the development is still slow in Puncak Alam. I am always a fan of the underdogs and of course with the bandar having a soft spot in my heart, I will always root for Bandar Puncak Alam. The population mix is not something we can be proud of but slowly but surely, it would be a good city.

I was told Tesco is coming to Puncak Bestari and with the links through new highways, Puncak Alam's "ulu" status would soon be history.

But for one thing I mentioned to my dad when we were on the way to the house. The distance is always a problem. In 10 years time this would be a thing of the past as more developments are set in neighbouring towns.

Double blow for Pakatan

Pakatan Rakyat has suffered a double blow to wrest Putrajaya from the ruling coalition as the 13th General Election looms. The death of Private Investigator Balasubramaniam due to heart illness has not been a good timing as he was only about to "reveal all" in a nation-wide campaign. Then came a series of pictures purportedly taken from a video feed featuring two men in compromising positions where one of them appears to be of Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

Conspiracy theorists may have suggested the former was killed while the latter was not the man who featured in the video. However, reality would soon settle-in to the minds of even the hardcore supporters as hard proofs would soon be released. Some supporters have even admitted they do not care if the man in the video was Anwar Ibrahim as long as "ABU" (Anyone But UMNO) movement is implemented when choosing the new Government. While the UMNO-ists might see this as a veiled attacks against the Malays as a whole, many has also seen UMNO as a party drenched with filth of corruption.

A large section of PAS party leaders and supporters have declared unfavourable to the idea of Anwar Ibrahim becoming the new Prime Minister if Pakatan were to take over the Federal Government. The notion of this movement might have stemmed from the sentiments among the grassroots supporters, in which I could only assume, Anwar's moral scandals. The sudden U-turn made by the leaders could not have been timely as it was first mentioned publicly only months before the impending General Election.

This is somewhat disastrous because Pakatan Rakyat could not afford to show differences in opinion among them to the public. They have not even agreed on the same logo or if the Buku Jingga is taking into account the aspirations of PAS to make Malaysia and Islamic (or welfare state).

At this point PAS should not make public any differences of opinion against sister parties like DAP or PKR. Seat allocations have yet to be confirmed and I expect PAS to actually fight for having the majority of seats contested, if not won, in which Anwar himself would not allow. There is a certain feeling among their leaders that PAS should actually lead Pakatan Rakyat, not PKR. Some even suggested that it is normal to elect the Prime Minister from the party that won the most federal seats but Anwar Ibrahim has insisted that they should have two Deputies, one who is Lim Kit Siang and the other should be Hadi Awang.

Personally I feel that PAS is playing a dangerous game by ignoring the two incidents mentioned and trying to push Ustaz Hadi to be the rightful Prime Minister. It is either they accept Anwar as the Pakatan's Prime Minister or join Barisan Nasional when the time comes.

Unless they are confident enough that they could win more seats than PKR and keep Pakatan intact in which is very unrealistic to me.

Adlin Binti Abdul Jalil

Actually she doesn't deserve to be in my blog but of course, since she's asking for it, here goes.

I am no shrink but by the words chosen by her in her writings, I conclude that.

1. She is mentally ill.
2. She is scarred for life of whatever trouble she faced before. Blaming it on Islam.
3. She is an attention seeker, in which she has won, only in a bad way.
4. She is not pretty and made it worse on herself by colouring her hair blonde. Since I have been wanting to become a beauty pageant judge, I would rate her as 10... out of 10 billion.
5. Good news that Interpol has co-operated to bring her to justice. But don't forget those Malay-liberals-civil society who demand freedom of speech (or lies).
6. I bet no normal man would do her and her smile is so sinister it could be used for anti-premature ejaculation.
7. Whatever it is, her fate is sealed. Another waste of life.

Shiah not the real enemy

1. I am in the opinion that Shiah became what they are now strictly because of politics.

2. Since the political events happened more than a thousand years ago, it is hard to simply throw away the Shiah beliefs.

3. If you scrutinized thoroughly, you would agree with me that the Shiah practices coincide with some political events happened more than a thousand years ago.

4. For example, Eid Al-Ghadeer is a festive observed by the Shi-ites to commemorate the appointment of Ali bin Abi Talib as the immediate successor of Prophet Muhammad.

5. Abu Bakar As-Siddiq took over instead and Ali's supporters became enraged and turned into who we call the Shi-ites today.

6. Ali was willing to wait for his turn but a civil war ensued.

7. This is politics and after more and more blood was spilled including of Prophet Muhammad's grandsons, Hasan and Hussein, the Shi-ites became more and more agitated. 

8. The effect was long lasting. Stories of Ali, Hasan and Hussein were passed from generation to generation.

9. The stories of the prophet's son-in-law and grandsons being murdered, were surely heart-wrenching. They would attract more Shiah believers.

10. To me the civil war was the darkest history of the Islamic world.

11. The prophet had done his best to remind the people to stick together as an ummah, and never to worship him as a God, after his death.

12. The wives, who should be regarded as the Mothers of all Muslims, were not allowed to re-marry, to avoid people from claiming the children from this marriage to be "sacred".

13. The message is clear. There is no prophet after Muhammad. People from his lineage are normal human beings like us.

14. In fact, Prophet Muhammad was also human. He ate, slept, had children, married and died.

15. Difference is only that he was chosen by Allah to lead the last people of the world.

16. One should know that obsession and fanaticism led to the creation of sects including Shiah.

17. In a Malaysian context, if fanaticism is to be applied when supporting a political party, this would split the ummah more.

18. To me it does not matter if you support PAS or UMNO or PKR as long as we share the same Islamic belief.

19. Accusing others of "infidels" is somewhat extreme and if not curbed, who knows after a thousand years, PAS or UMNO became a religious sect just like Shiah.

20. The story of Shiah is a lesson to be learned by Muslims.

21. Some of you would just attack Shiah people like no tomorrow, without realising you are becoming one in a different label

22. Shiah used to be our brothers in hand. Sadly, because of politics, we are so much apart.

23. I dream that one day Islam would become one again.