The roaring 90s....the Clinton era

The 90s was definitely the defining decade for our generation.

Going into our 30s and starting to raise a family is the main agenda no doubt.

What did i remember of the 90s?

The Clinton era was an era of unprecedented growth for the US economy and putting aside his "misdemeanours", President Clinton indeed was the man of that decade in my view.

Maybe he was lucky because his tenure coincide with the Internet boom as the world get more connected and the growth actually 'fuelled" by the many technological advances.

The emergence of China and India also helped to build a buoyant world market as millions of people joined the race to be part of the affluent middle class society.

To me, Clinton's greatest contribution is not to engage in any senseless wars or conflicts for an America that puts peace and mutual cooperation first as a world agenda ie a badly needed recipe for a world of stable growth.

Yup..the 90s is definitely a Clinton decade.

Malaysia though has seen its own interesting times ... the country too followed USA in terms of economic growth until the financial crisis hits our shores in 1997.

The political turmoil during that period fortunately didn't turn into a very ugly chapter in the nation's history.

The country has moved on since then and we survived the crisis without a need for an IMF bailout.

Historians will view this in decades to come as possibly the coming of age of Malaysia as a savvy country but maybe not,only time will tell.

For me,the 90s indeed was also a decade of big decisions as one grappled as an 30 odd years old.

I left a job at a Multinational company and venture into "unknown" territory with only a belief in my own ability and if everything fails i said to myself i can always rely on my technical skills to earn a living for myself and the family.

As i saw young men and women now going through the same "coming of age" process, my advice has always been nothing beats hard work and a dedicated pursuance of being competent in at least one particular field of work or expertise. Bullshitting will not get you anywhere(not with me anyway!!!)

The roaring 90s as they called it indeed was a momentous decade in all aspects, the world get more connected and globalised, the emergence of China and India all adds up to an important lesson in my view if the world is to continue to prosper:

" The pursuit of building and sustaining an affluent society is the best antidote to a world that can be mired in conflict,wars and unrest".

Whiteside reincarnated

Ever since i remembered supporting them,wow i believed way back even in the late 60s and as i grew up as a teenager in the 70s emerging young players always hooked me on!!! 

Those days you get your football news from Shoot magazine and trying to listen to BBC World Service Saturday night game hmmm  so different as compared to now!!! 

Ya i remembered now fondly those days  scrounging all my pocket money to buy a real treasure, Shoot Magazine at KK  Abdul Majeed located somewhere on India Street..Wonder whether it's still there,must find out one day!!

You drooled at all the photos of young players then and for me emerging United youth were not a plenty and nothing  much to rejoice except possibly Sammy Mccllroy.

Then came this huge fella, he exploded to the scene in early eighties, i was in UK already then and his name?

Norman Whiteside..what talent for such a big guy,all suffering Manchester United fans then was having some hope that finally the early Busby Babes tradition will be revived with this Whiteside fella.

Anyone remember his wonderful goal in the league cup final against Liverpool in 1982 against that red team from Mersey side. The way he turned the Liverpool player and scored!!!

Another reason why he was loved by United faithful were his consistently remarkable match-winning displays against the team's bitterMerseyside rivals in the league; Liverpool and Everton, who at that time were two of the more dominant and successful clubs in England. He also scored the winning goal in the 1985 FA Cup final, curling a shot in from the right hand side in the 20th minute of extra time, to give ten man United victory over Everton, and Whiteside his second FA Cup winner's medal. Norman Whiteside was passionately called "The Scourge of the Scousers" as a result of these exploits.

Yes the winning goal that he scored against Everton in the 1985 FA Cup final was brilliant ..such sublime skill.

GOAL..GOAL...Macheda has scored !!!! yes fast forward to year 2009 and another 17 year old huge fella came to the scene and when he scored that winning goal against VIlla i cant help having a wry smile.

Hmmm..Whiteside reincarnated ..welcome Macheda. Live it on Norman in the form of this new young fella , he can also score goals as you did for United more than 20 years ago.

 

Books,,food for the brain

I am an avid reader, and sometimes it becomes a habit that is hard to put down.

Books nowadays are indeed expensive.

I always make a point of allocating a specific budget for buying books every month and in our own "word speak", this particular monthly budget of mine always shows an "Overrun".

I finally have my own library,an outcome of accumulating books over the years.

Still messy though in its categorisation and organisation, will have to spend a full day soon to organise all the books properly before i can proudly call it a library.

Now, now over the years which particular books and authors that really captivate and influence me?


Hmm, let me reflect.there's this book i bought way back in 1994 which i still viewed as a real paradigm shift in my thinking with regards to life and meaning of real success:

"The Paradox Of Success" by John O'Neill....... a bit review of the book .."

The paradox of success teaches readers how to sustain personal development over the long haul,through self observation,deep learning,and regenerative retreats. It can help readers become long distance winners, and renew their lives and reinvigorate their organisations in the process.

It is a deeply haunting and thought provoking book as it leads you to a journey of knowing your shadow and its dark sides. The hubris of success can ultimately lead to your downfall and any strategies for renewal must involve a need to step back and face the shadow.

Some authors i definitely an avid follower and i will grab any of their books when i saw them at a bookstore, authors such as... Sir VS Naipaul, Charles Handy and the finance writer John Train.

Well, indeed books are food for the brain and one can be humble and enlightened as wiser and more knowledgeable people share their thoughts, views and experiences via words particularly if those words are written in such clarity and enthusiasm.

OOps..can you move over please Mr Shadow as i am now reading this delightful book by Alan Greenspan, "The Age of turbulence".

British comedy actors..a great treat

This weekend i finally had the time to indulge on some movie viewings at home, has not been been doing this for quite a while.

I bought this movie recently a blu Ray copy .."How to lose friends & alienate people"...

It has Kirsten Dunst(Spiderman fame), Jeff Bridges but i picked the movie up to buy purely due to this one actor in its main role..Simon Pegg.

Simon Pegg caught my attention in the movie , "Hot Fuzz" , he continued this great tradition of British comedy actors, eccentric,hilarious,has a peculiar sense of humour and above all made you really laugh !!!

Back to the movie...Simon Pegg's acting was so brilliant and original that i thoroughly enjoyed every minute of the movie,indeed a great respite from a hectic week.

EN-GA-LAND, En-ga-land, En-ga-land! En-ga-land- oi, Orlando, you used to be British! En-ga-land, En-ga-land, En-ga-land!"

Ha ha a great scene indeed as the drunk Simon Pegg perched himself up a stage and shouted those above words....remind me of some drunked nuts i met on a Saturday nite in aUK city.


"You thought Brad Pitt was a cave in Yorkshire.".....Simon Pegg to his Father who is a Professor of some sort

As i said i thoroughly enjoyed Simons's role in this movie carrying on the great tradition of great British Comedy actors......Rowan Atkinson,John Cleese,Vinnie Jones(oops sorry not him!) Michael Palin, Russel Brand to name a few.

What ails you Sarawak football?

I was textd an sms this morning informing me that Sarawak has drawn their game against ATM,2-2.

What ails you Sarawak football?
Am i qualified to give my 2 cents worth of view ?

I was honestly relieved that i was no longer in football because the people in FAS the association that runs Sarawak football thought that my ideas and style too radical for the comfort of some.

Despite sponsoring 5 key players , none from our company was invited to be in the senior team management committee.

No sour rapes as reflected by the fact that we still continue to assist on these 5 key players but the present situation of Sarawak football somehow augmented my view that radical changes need to be made and a voluntary based structure and expecting companies to be kind enough to help a so called "voluntary" organisation is just a pipe less dream.


My earlier proposal of merging team and stadium management under one formal management set up,run as a pro club and reporting to a board comprising a collaboration of government,FAS and private sector is worth a try if Sarawak football seriously wanted to rise as a phoenix.

Like all well meaning Sarawakians we truely wants a team that we can be proud of. On my part we will still continue to assist Sarawak football by adopting the 5 players and hope that the present management will be able to weather the present storm and at least finish the season with our pride and reputation still intact.

There is no excuse, they all know what to expect when they take up the responsibility of running the team this season.
Adios
Zorro.

Thank you Pak Lah

On Friday everyone in Kl seemed to be buzzing and while at the airport lounge ,all were glued to the TV screen witnessing the end of the Abdullah era and the ushering of the 6Th Prime Minister.

One cant help reflecting back on the Abdullah or Pak Lah's "reign".
Believe it as a student(1980.) i used to eat "nasi ayam" in plastic packet with Pak Lah on the same table when he was officiating a function in Cardiff UK .He was then a Parliamentary Secretary i think.Hmmm never realised then that this quiet man across the table would be a Prime Minister one day!!!

As the new Prime Minister Pak Lah came in with a lot of expectations from all and sundry, here is a man total opposite to Dr M in character and approach. All Malaysians have high hopes on him ...so has he delivered?

I remarked few weeks back as the world economy was reeling with recession ,Malaysia seemed to be cushioned somewhat thanks to our surplus which i believe is all credit due to Pak Lah.

When he assumed power, his first economic priority was to reduce government deficit and his firm decisions not o continue with some mega projects and cancelling some( a bit crooked..the bridge i mean) took strong will power and faith. He was lambasted by some quarters for not continuing with this legacy of building momentous projects ..yes we were now seeing the wisdom of his actions.

The surplus that the nation is able to accumulate,accentuated by spiralling oil and palm oil prices in recent years has certainly able the government now to provide stimulus packages to redress the recession.

Thank you Pak Lah , to quote the STAR yesterday....." The media may be chronicler of instant history but it is the historian who will have the perspective to look at both the positive and negative sides of Pak Lah's ledger."

Above statement reminded me of the Jimmy Carter era, he was deemed a "failure" as a USA President by the media but History has acknowledged him as a man of good intentions and deeds and he went on to become a highly respected Statesman after his retirement.
Pak Lah can be the same and i hope he will continue playing his role as an experienced statesman continually giving us Malaysians the hope, dignity and aspirations to stir our beloved Nation towards greater progress and a real Bangsa Malaysia.

Thank you Pak Lah.

Fish tales(tails..) from KL

I was away again travelling to KL for the past few days and as usual, always a hectic and sometimes "traffic jam' weary schedule.

This time round though i tried the pleasure of foot massaging in front of the hotel i stayed to ease this irritating pain of my back ankle ,the aggravation that occurred in a recent football game i played with my colleagues.

Wow, there was quite a crowd at this massage place.

For the stiff prices that they charged , surprised to see the business flourishing,well mostly Arab and Indian tourists.

While awaiting my turn, they offered me a free dip in their tank full of fishes that supposedly "eat away" your dead skin thus rejuvenating your skin supposedly....hmmm quite an experience bit itchy but once you get used to it can be a thrill!!!

The foot massage which i booked for an hour was not that bad, the masseur from China(where else?) seems to be quite deft with his work and what will one do while being massaged he told you that i needed at least one and a half hour not one hour...a real fishy business instead!!!(pardon the pun).

One joy that i always tried to savour when in KL was to have a mixed rice meal with its main offering, the ikan Keli(eel ..) cooked in dried chili..heaven man i love this dish, don't asked me why ,it's a craving that i yearn whenever i got the time in Kl to have it.

Why i even spurned an invitation yesterday by a friend to have a meal at a hotel so i can have this dish at a roadside at Jalan Alor.

What did i have lunch today in KL ? ha,what else but another dish of ikan keli(fried eel) at the Ampang Mall food court. While my colleague possibly having his lunch today at a "proper " Chinese restaurant, i was savouring my fried eel,the ikan keli.

As i cut through the fish tail,i cant help wondering that this particular KL trip indeed is a great fish tale to relate!!