FREE READS

Go to any big bookstores and you will find people in the reading rooms or on the floor reading books that are not wrapped in cellophane. You can do the same in libraries.
If you are not a speed-reader but want a free read, why not try ebooks? There are free ebooks that you can read on your pc, laptop, pda or on some mobile phones.

Ebooks or electronic books come in various formats. Those that can be read online are mostly in html formats. Some are pdf (Portable Document Format) files that can be read on your browsers if you have Acrobat Reader© installed. You can also save pdf files. There are also ebooks that come in .exe files. They are self-contained and ready to read although I would advise caution when opening any .exe files. Check for virus, worms and spyware. Anyway, the pages that offer free ebooks will tell you if you need a software to read the books. The software needed is usually offered free. Of course, if you are well-heeled you can also opt for the many dedicated ebook reader machines that you can take everywhere. For people already with iPods, pda or sophisticated phones, I do not think you should spend more money buying the ebook hardware, buy the not-free ebooks instead.

What can you expect from free books? Plenty. If you browse the links I am giving you at the end of this post, you can see that many subjects are covered. Go browse while I try to get used to Sir Richard Burton's translation of "1001 Nights".

Hey, I do not have to lick my fingers to turn the pages on my ancient Zire 71.

http://www.free-ebooks.net/
http://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Main_Page
http://www.e-book.com.au/freebooks.htm
http://www.freeebooks.info/
http://www.ebookdirectory.com/
http://www.getfreeebooks.com/
http://www.ereader.com/

MORE MONEY

Hackneyed or cliched they may be, these words have truth in them and should be remembered by us all. Those that worship money should commit these words (in addition to their bank account numbers) to memory.
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MONEY,MONEY,MONEY

Unlike some people that can get lots of cash just by switching camps, mere mortals like us have to get money the hard way.

For Senior Citizens, Bank Negara Malaysia (Malaysia's Central Bank) will be issuing The 2009 MERDEKA BONDS very very soon. If you missed the announcement, go here to read (and print) the Press Release.

So, on the 18th of February, go to your bank and apply. Please do not sneeze at the 5% annual dividend offered or the monthly amount that will be credited to your account. Even if you stepped on that amount of money on your morning walk, you would pick it up wouldn't you?

Dig up the stash from under your mattress or mistress (whichever is applicable) and go buy the bonds.

TEA ON THAIPUSAM

While devotees thronged Batu Caves on Sunday, I made my way to Ampang Jaya to meet Zaharan Razak, a blogger and a fellow Terengganunian. Zaharan rode his new kapchai ( that's a small Honda bike, Louis) all the way from Kuala Ibai to KL and Pak Idrus invited him to tea. Pak Idrus invited a few other bloggers as well but they could not make it.

They missed the scones. Yes, genuine English scones with butter and jam, No crumpets or strumpets but Pak Idrus also laid out wajik, fried noodles, fruits and my all-time favourite, caramel custard.

The spread

Caramel Custard for dentally challenged dudes

Pak Idrus is bent on collecting as many gadgets as he can. So far he has 2 laptops, 1 Netbook. pdaphones and a new Nikon DSLR. After Zaharan did justice to the scones, Pak Idrus fired up his brand-new Toshiba laptop and buzzed a blogger friend in Seattle via Skype. Even though it was the wee hours of the morning in Seattle, Louis sounded cheerful on the mike and he looked cheerful and friendly on the screen. All three of us chatted with Louis. I am surprised that he reads my blog (Di Bawah Rang Ikang Kering). I would be even more surprised if Louis understand most of the patois.

Louis on line

Pak Idrus would not let me go home but wanted me to have dinner with him first. He took Zaharan and I to Cozy House at Great Eastern Mall. The place was packed but we were lucky to get a table where Pak Idrus resumed his discourse on various topics.

Pak Idrus wanted to think. Zaharan wanted his dinner.

Tea in a bottle

Among the topic of the conversation during dinner was the breakdown of taboos for the sake of marketing. You know what I mean - kway teow served in wok and drinks served in jars.

I got back in time to watch the second half of the Arsenal-Spurs match. In spite of the score line, it was a nice evening.

WE HAVE THE NUMBERS

I hope I am not attracting 4-Digit punters to this blog. You know who they are. They are the ones slowing down traffic on our highways and byways not to help unfortunate motorists but to jot down the vehicle's numbers.

The numbers I am giving you today are statistics that you might not be aware of and once known hopefully will make you think deep and and long thoughts.

Go here.

Thanks to Dato' Abdullah Mohamad for the link.

AN "A" FOR DEFECTION

As a naive non-partisan senile old man, I am a little bit amused at the media's (old and new, mainstream, upstream and downstream) preoccupation with members of political parties changing horses abruptly.

Defectors are labelled weak, traitors, Judas, ingrates, katak and other uncomplimentary names by the abandoned party while being hailed as a hero, principled, patriot or whatever else by their new bedfellows. Now, for would be defectors, let an old man give you unsolicited advice. Do not ask me if I have ever defected. I do not have a political party. I haven't died either so would that disqualify me from advising you about dying? If dying is too morbid for you, let us go to the opposite side. Birth. One of my daughter's gynae never got pregnant but he gets money giving advice to pregnant people. Ok, now that you get my drift let us get on with this defection thing.

For would be defectors, the English nursery rhyme
Sticks and Stones
Will Break My Bones
But Names Will Never Hurt Me.

is good to repeat to yourself unless they really start to throw sticks, stones, terompah and other missiles. When that happens, you either recall your silat/kungfu/kalari payat lessons on evasive moves or locate the fattest cat in your new-found group to hide behind.

There is a better way though. I shall call this the toma'ninoh way. I shall not explain what toma'ninoh is simply because I am on a borrowed wireless broadband which has the habit of disconnecting me at irritating intervals. The less I stay online, the safer. If you are not familiar with the word, go get a Muslim worth his pioh lembik to elaborate. The toma'ninoh way is to do it in stages. If you change your mind in politics or have your mind changed for you because of your principles (assuming you have some to begin with) do not switch parties immediately. No toma'ninoh there. If you cannot reconcile your principles to what your party is doing or subscribing to, you speak your mind. No go? Resign. You cannot beat them, leave them. Join another party to continue your struggle after taking the time to identify which party suits your objectives best. People have short memory. Give them time to forget. Of course you cannot apply this if the repossessors are at your electric gate waiting to take your SUV away. If you change parties for monetary gains, you deserve all the contempts you can get, including mine.

For political parties suffering defections present and future, here is my 2 sen. Get an "A" and put it in defection. You get defecation. No defecation and you are not regular. Waste must be discharged at regular intervals otherwise you get constipated and lose elections. So let the other side have the shit. Do not blame me for bringing the toilet into this but I read a politician writing in his blog that leaders are elected in the loo. Isn't "purge" a political term too? Chew on that.

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