Entries from July 2007 ↓

I heard on the news earlier that our Government has allocated RM12 million for an initial review and immediate repair of leaks in the Parliament House. Excuse me? RM12 million? How on earth did they come up with that astronomical figure? Its only for the roof mind you. Gold electroplating not included. Oh, and its for an “initial review and immediate repair”. Is it a proper permanent long term measure then, or is it just a stop gap measure? Will there be another RM12 million expended in a couple of years for a “more permanent repair”? Don’t put it past them to pull that trick.

The best … or maybe worst part is that the leaky roof was not part of the RM19 million renovation undertaken on the Parliament House a few years back. I cannot even begin to understand why this was so. I would have thought that any renovation would have been done comprehensively, not sporadically. Let a private contractor try this and any house owner would have complained their ear off for doing such shoddy work.

Anyway, RM12 million of tax payers money aside, Works Minister Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu blames the leaky cauldron leaky roof on global changes in the weather as “Rain is really heavy nowadays“.

Really? *insert wide eyed bambi look* All this time, I had the impression that I lived in a tropical country that receives at least 2 seasons of monsoon rains a year. Monsoon rains = really heavy rains, no? No?

You can read about it in the online version of The Sun newspaper and I have extracted the excerpt here

Samy Vellu: Weather change to blame
KUALA LUMPUR (July 24, 2007): Global changes in the weather pattern that resulted in heavier rain is to be blamed for the recent leaks in the Parliament building, said Works Minister Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu. Commenting on yesterday’s incident where Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak was greeted with a leak as he stepped out of Dewan Negara, Samy Vellu said it was due to the spell of heavy rain in the last few days.

“Rain is really heavy nowadays, not only here, but throughout the world.

“Like in England, streets are filled with five feet (deep) of water, in (the United States of) America there’s also flood,” he told reporters after opening a seminar on Technology Management for Enterprises in a hotel here today.

He said waterproofing works were being done on the Parliament building and the government had just approved a RM12 million allocation for initial study and immediate repair of severe leaks in the building, report’s Malaysia’s national news agency Bernama.

Samy Vellu said as the Parliament building was about 50 years old, the entire roof of the Parliament needed to be waterproofed again, but the cost for the impending renovation had yet to be assessed.

“We have to remove the old concrete, and lay new concrete blocks, and carry out waterproofing at the bottom and top layers,” he said.

He said two or three engineers would be placed on site to supervise the double waterproofing works as it was being carried out to ensure that it was not done shoddily.

“I will personally visit the location tomorrow (Wednesday) to observe what is being done,” he said.

In other words, its ok for our Parliament House to leak because England and America is flooded due to “really heavy rains”. I’m not quite sure how floods in England and America relate to a leaky roof in a tropical country that gets monsoon rains, so maybe some clever person out there would like to enlighten me? It looks like its the whole Act of God accusation again that has cost us tax payers RM12 million.

OUCH! God can’t hate us THAT much.

An easy way to go down to Singapore from Kuala Lumpur and vice versa is by bus/coach. The travelling time is approximately 5 hours by road which isn’t bad considering that if you fly, there is a lot of waiting time at the airports and not to mention that its a lot cheaper by bus. I won’t say flying isn’t good though. I rather enjoy flying, if only so I can browse the duty free at the airports. You miss this if you take the bus.

For my most recent trip, I went for Airebus, a relatively new coach service to Singapore from Kuala Lumpur. This bus departs from and arrives at the Boulevard Hotel at MidValley Megamall. In Singapore it departs and arrives at the DFS Galleria on Scotts Road. This is a very convenient location in Singapore as it is just a stones throw away from Orchard MRT station, and if you are lucky enough to stay in a hotel on Scotts Road or Orchard Road, then you can just take a short stroll to your hotel. One of the best drop off points I have experienced yet.

The bus is a double decker luxury coach with large comfy seats. I tried to purchase tickets online but their online service doesn’t seem to work. That is not very promising. You can buy the tickets from the Airebus Counter at the lobby of the Boulevard Hotel and get the tickets issued immediately. There are 2 coach categories - Executive and Business. I don’t know what Business gives you, but I took an Executive Coach which costs RM80 one way from KL-SIN and the same coming back. If you just purchase one way coming back from SIN-KUL it will cost you RM112.

The Executive coach has 3 departure times: 7.30am, 1pm, 6.45pm. The times are the same from KL or Singapore. It will come clear later.

Anyway, this is a brief review of the bus service:

Comfort Level: 3.5/5
I found the seats large and they reclined well. However, there was some padding at the head area meant to act like a pillow which I found uncomfortable as it raised my head too high. If you are taking these buses don’t take the front seats. Its right next to the passage way and is rather cramped. Seats No. 6 onwards are much better.

I found that the bus was doing a lot of swaying though, which I was unsure if it was attributable to the uneven roads or to the bus itself. I also did not like that there was no space to put anything overhead and leg space was limited that way. No space for paper bags etc.

Entertainment: 2/5
On the executive coach, you are shown a DVD movie either on the first half of the journey before the rest stop, or after the stop. Depending on where you sit, you might not have a very good view of the LCD monitor at all. On my way down, I was sitting just under the monitor so all I saw was a blank screen. On the way back it was better but the light shining through reflects off the monitor somewhat. The sound is also very low and muted so most of the time I was reading lips or reading the really bad subtitles. It made me think the DVDs were not of the kosher variety.

Food and Drink: 2/5
You are served a light meal on the trip. On my way down in the morning, it was a really sad affair of tasteless scrambled eggs and mushroom with a dried out croissant and 3 weird tasting sausages. Needless to say, I preferred to snack on the bahulu I had so thoughtfully packed. On the way back, it was braised chicken with mushroom in gravy, stirfried vegetables and rice with a fried wonton. It was not too bad, but there was too much gravy and I ended up spilling it down the front of my pants. Not elegant!

They also provide tea or coffee in a styrofoam cup. I suspected the coffee was a Nescafe 3-in-1 or something similar. An insufficiently weak caffeine boost. You also get a bottle of mineral water. Not too bad in the drinks department, but food leaves much to be desired. I’d rather just bring my own.

Convenience: 5/5

I give the convenience of the drop off and pick up points in both cities top ratings, as I found it very convenient. It helped that I was staying on Scotts Road itself which cost a bomb. I might not find it as convenient the next time if I were staying else where.

One thing that rather surprised me was that I found myself  on the same bus both going down and coming back. Then I realised that the same bus that goes down at 7.30am comes back at 1.00pm from Singapore then immediately makes the turnaround trip at 6.45pm from KL. Honestly, I don’t quite know how safe that is or well maintained the buses are. I hope for the sake of the passengers, that it is properly maintained! To be fair, I did not notice the bus speeding as the normal express buses are wont to do. When I looked at the passing scenery outside, I did not see it passing by in a blur, but more of at a decent speed, which left me more assured as to my safety. The journey takes 5 hours which is quite alright as I always fall asleep anyway.

Would I take this bus again?

I don’t think so. I think I’d save the RM60 and try for First Coach. If I can’t get that one, then I might go for this one. It won’t be my first choice however.  Ooh! I’m so picky aren’t I?

I just got back from Singapore yesterday evening. That explains the long silence, I hope

It was a fruitful trip, in a manner of speaking, and in the literal sense. If there’s one thing I love about going down to Singapore is the variety of fruits found there. Price wise it might not be any cheaper than the same fruits here, but for the same price, the fruits are bigger, sweeter and better - or so it seems. I will prove for one that they are bigger once I get my pictures uploaded hehe…

I took the Airebus down and a review will follow soon.

While I was in Singapore, there was a discussion in their local newspapers about the food scares from China - Have you sworn off China food?

Honestly, I haven’t been following the drama surrounding food from China very closely. But I have been hearing the stories and have been warned off tinned food from China for a while now. The picture collage is an assortment of images of familiar tinned food from China that I extracted off the net and is only a visual representation.

I don’t usually eat century eggs except in pei tan chok - century egg congee - so that is ok. As for canned button mushrooms, I haven’t bought or eaten those in ages because the last time I opened a can, I was horrified at the bright yellow colour of the mushrooms inside and the odd chemical smell. Pork luncheon meat is always a temptation for me, as is fried dace with black beans, both of which go very well with plain rice porridge. However, I try to stay away from eating them now, because honestly, you don’t know what goes into those cans at all.

The question asked of the readers of the Straits Times was - Have you sworn off China food? And the answer seems to be a mixed bag of yes and no. My question to you is:

Have you sworn off China food?

My answer is: Partly yes. I’m sorry that China is having a lot of bad rap now, but I’m not hanging around to see if its true or a cover up as conspiracy theorists would like to believe. Where I can, I will try to opt for compatible food and seasonings from other countries but where I can’t, I will have to buy the China brand and hope for the best. The stories surrounding the unhealthiness of China tinned food has been around for a long time, which is why I don’t believe that its just some recent scare mongering going on. Unfortunately for China, it is now known more for its fake items and food scares than for anything else.

I have and will continue to avoid the 4 foods I have pictured above though, no matter how tempting it might be. How about you?

And while I was in Singapore, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows was launched. Being the skinflint I am, I am refusing to pay for the hardcover version and will wait for the paperback to come out before I think about buying it. I don’t like this cover unfortunately. It is too chaotic and too reminiscent of the Terry Pratchett Discworld series, of which I’m afraid JK Rowling is not in the same league. I much prefer the adult cover as it reflects the serious mood better.

But no matter. I went into the nearest bookstore I could find, picked up the book and read my fill of spoilers. I’m quite happy to do that to satisfy myself till the book reaches my hands. I still don’t know what Deathly Hallows are and who dies or not and I’m quite content to leave it at that.

And with this choppy post I crawl back to the reality of the workplace.

Will I be riding this down south across the causeway soon?

I hope so!

So tell me. Has anyone taken Airebus from KUL-SIN and how did you find it? I only used to take the “budget” option of First Coach previously which costs RM100 return. Airebus will cost RM160.

Any comments?

Heads up y’all!

The Gallivanter is organising a Bloggers Booze party this coming Saturday:

Date: 21 July 2007

Time: 9pm onwards

Venue:  Hartamas Walk at Hartamas Shopping Centre

Details are over on his blog and its being held in conjunction with Advertlets.

I haven’t decided where I’ll be this Saturday yet - plans are going awry which is a pain pain pain! So, if I am at a lose end, I might pop down. Anyone want to meet up?