F1 - The European leg kicks off in Spain

This should be an interesting F1 weekend to watch. Prior to the 3 weeks break, the top teams have been busy preparing their cars with technical upgrades and much of it will be unfold from tomorrow during the official practice sessions.

Things may change very quickly comes Saturday for the qualifying rounds and whatever technical glitches the teams faced have to be immediately rectified and sorted as they line up at starting grid on Sunday.

Looking very much forward to Barcelona

clipped from www.formula1.com Spain Preview - who's taken the biggest step forward? The world championship battle really starts this weekend as the Spanish Grand Prix signals the commencement of the European leg, if you believe Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso. As his national race celebrates its 40th running since 1951, the Spaniard lies third in the title chase with 49 points to McLaren’s Jenson Button’s 60 and Mercedes GP’s Nico Rosberg’s 50. Alonso insists that the opening races just underlined the general trend of winter testing, but that from this race onwards the development race has really got underway. “In Europe it is time to show who is going to fight for the title and who isn’t,” he said at a recent press conference in Spain.

Malaysian man in blue just cannot change

Will the police shooting of Aminulrasyid Amzah be another case of NFA being stamped on the case file with the so called 'high powered" police inquiry? Or will it be another threaten the foreign pathologist inquiry of the Teoh Beng Hock case , And what happened to Kugan in the "die in jail" police beating case?

The MO seems all too familiar and it is hard to even believe a word the police have to say in their defense. The police just do not seems to understand the concept of upholding the law and justice of the country entrusted to them and it is the 'big brother' attitude of some of the senior officers starting from the IGP that is giving law enforcers a bad name. Can we then equate the man in blue as a licensed and organized crime outfit? And the police seems to be getting away with ..... all the time. Shhhssssh!

clipped from www.freemalaysiatoday.com The arrogance of police power NEW A week after schoolboy Aminulrasyid Amzah's death by police shooting, Malaysians have been treated to the ghastly spectacle of a government withdrawing into itself in the face of public outrage, and seemingly intent only on finding grounds for justifying its actions. Left in abeyance is the fact that governments exist in democratic nations to ensure the safety of all its citizens, and to ensure equal justice for all, no matter what their station in life.

Global Social Media Trends - Asia Impact

Check out this SlideShare Presentation: As we moved forward to an even more CONNECTED world, this slide shows the rising trend and usage of social media in our everyday lives. Marketers and brand owners whether they like it or not, the early adopters of this trend will definitely have a better competitive advantage, an upper hand over the 'somewhat skeptics'

Unfortunately in Indonesia and in my work, I come across more of the 'somewhat skeptics' as opposed to the early adopters. I am still hopeful things will change when they hear more on how we can leverage in a more synergistic approach between the traditional and new media.

Thanks to Tom Smith of Trendstream for the insights.

Global Social Media Trends - Asia Impact

View more presentations from Tom Smith.

Social Media Trend

The rapid growth pace of technology, the rapid growth rate of mobile apps and easy interface of APIs is set to change the way people interact, connect and share. There is no turning back in terms of technology advancement and at the rate it is going, it will be a matter of days newer platform will surface and be adopted. The question then lies in what we do, how we adopt and adapt and how this explosion will affect the practitioners and advocates. The future is mobile: anywhere, anyplace, anytime

Mind boggling for those who are starting to get a grip on what's happening, what more to those who are not connected at all.

Here's a take from one of my favorite sites, http://takemetoyourleader.com/ talking about social media which I find most useful for a late starter like me.

Social Media 2012 : 11 trends you should watch
"It’s easy to get caught up in today’s trends or even focus on the next six months. Some of 2009’s biggest trends included an increased emphasis on real-time search and information distribution, while distribution of marketing content in widgets and other pieces of portable content that worked across devices and social spaces also saw its stake rise. Plus, there were great improvements in social-media monitoring and analytics. And most notably, marketers finally acknowledged that social media was more than just a fad, with almost complete adoption by all major marketers"

1st Speaker's Corner in Malaysia and it is in my home state

I am glad to hear that today in Penang, the Speakers' Corner was launched.  "The Speakers’ Corner fulfills the aspirations of empowering the people by encouraging citizens to exercise their constitutional rights under Article 10 (1)(a) of the Federal Constitution of freedom of speech and expression and Article 10 (1)(b) where all citizens have the right to assemble peaceably." MT

I especially like point No.7 in Penang Chief Minister's speech in launching the Speakers' Corner.

" I have always said that a good government must do three things: listen to the people, do the people’s work and give hope to the people. The Speakers’ Corner serves as a catalyst to the growing spirit of democracy throughout Penang and the willingness of the state government to listen to the people to be a good government" You can read the rest of the speech here posted in 'My Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng.'

Now, how many more states in Malaysia will follow this small step in recognizing the peoples' right to free speech? This small step will hopefully generate many more bigger steps in the long road for democracy.

Well done, Penang.

Indonesia's GREEN energy initiatives

A very positive step to be undertaken by Indonesia tapping into the huge natural resource of geothermal energy fully endorsed by President SBY.  It is with the hope that this momentum will pick up speed as the need for power of the country will increased significantly. Less burning of coal and fuel to produce energy will certainly reduce the carbon emission into the atmosphere.

Indonesia sitting on the Pacific Ring of Fire will certainly gain from this green source of energy and this initiative is to be fully supported. Well done, Indonesia.

Here's the story from The Jakarta Post online.

Go green and save the environment. Every little step counts for a better tomorrow. The future is in our hands, spread the word around, force your local government and businesses to think and go for a more sustainable solutions in governance and business practices.

A very powerful article that speaks on my behalf in Malaysia

Why is it after 53 years of independence in Malaysia, they are still debating on nationality?

I for one, when asked by my Indonesian friends about my nationality is very proud to say that I AM MALAYSIAN. 'Fortunately or unfortunately', I am born in an ethnic Chinese family (my father was born in Malaya while my mother who has since passed away came from China at a very young age) and I carry a Malaysian identity card and passport. This is enough for me to get all my legal working permits, travel visas and reporting documents for a foreigner to work in Indonesia and as such, this makes me a Malaysian citizens and not Chinese citizen. Simple as that.

Like it or not, with an ethnic Chinese DNA, I still do make an effort to understand the culture, wisdom and teachings on the Chinese philosophy and way of life. Having said so, I will take and practice what is good and discard what is deemed to have clash with my principles. As a citizen, I take it upon myself to learn and acquire the necessary knowledge of the other ethnic races in Malaysia so as to live with my neighbors harmoniously and not to show any disrespect. In my mind, the question of nationality and loyalty to the country is a non issue, unlike some of the politicians who kept harping on it like an old trumpet.

What then is all the fuss about in Malaysia as advocated by some of the politicians (and recently the author from Utusan Malaysia newspaper) whether or not I am grateful or otherwise? My advise to all those racist politicians is to INTROSPECT and as the Indonesian will say "Ngaca donk!" and "Jangan bagai katak dalam tempurung".

From Free Malaysia Today, an article by Kee Thuan Chye prompted me to penned the above thoughts and hopefully get the message to those who are still debating on such issues.