I didn’t want to post anything today but I thought I should share with all of you that I found a really powerful computer surveillance and monitoring software PC Pandora and they are giving away free registration keys valid for 365 days.

PC Pandora is a software based surveillance and monitoring application developed for Microsoft Windows. It will record and capture computer activity such as Keystrokes, Instant Messenger, Emails, Search Queries entered into popular search engines, File Tracking to monitor file creation and deletion, Webcam snapshots to see exactly who is using your computer, download Activity from P2P applications, User Activity which records computer login information, Websites Visited, Programs used and for how long, as well as capture Snapshots (Screenshots) of the computer screen so you can see exactly what is being done on the computer.

You may also Block Websites, programs, and chat protocols as well as send E-mail Reports of the recorded data to a specified e-mail address so that you don’t have be on the PC that PC Pandora is installed on to view recorded data. PC Pandora is simple and intuitive and recorded data is provided in a familiar Explorer style view.

PC Pandora normally cost a whopping $109.95 but has been reduced to $69.95. To promote their upcoming PC Pandora v6, they’re giving away 50,000 FREE license first come first serve. So go ahead and grab your free license before all of them are being given away!

Here’s what you need to do in order to get your free PC Pandora license key valid for one year.

1. Go to this page http://www.pcpandora.com/order/clickbank/.

2. Make sure PC Pandora Pro is selected and UNCHECK Backup CD. Enter the Promo Code as PCPANDORAHOLIDAY or SLICK8 and click Proceed to Step 2.

3. Enter your name, email address, verification code and hit the submit button.

4. Check your email and you should receive an email from Pandora Corp (contact@pcpandora.com) with the subject “PC Pandora order confirmation”. Note the down registration key.

5. Download PC Pandora http://www.pcpandora.com/bin/PCPandoraSetup.exe and install.

6. During installation, you’ll be asked to create a password and also the hotkey to bring up the PC Pandora viewer. Restart when asked to.

7. When Windows is fully booted up, hit Ctrl+Alt+Shift+Z simultaneously and enter the password that you entered in step 5. Paste the registration key to register PC Pandora. Make sure you have an internet connection because it validates the key online.

Out of so many computer monitoring software, PC Pandora is one of the most powerful. I am sure that a lot of antivirus or security programs will detect PC Pandora as a threat because it can monitor a computer without the user knowing it. A computer monitoring software is very useful in helping you to monitor, control and protect your families and yourself online. From keeping children safe from predators and shielding them from potentially harmful or mature content, to ensuring the integrity of your relationships, online records, accounts and personal information. However, it can also be put to the wrong use in stealing passwords and etc. So end of the day is your choice.

PC Pandora runs on Windows 98, ME, 2000, XP and Vista with 200Mhz or faster processor, 30MB of memory and 10MB-50MB hard disk space for a typical day of recording.

Technorati Tags: keylogger, pcpandora, monitor, surveillance, free

KUALA LUMPUR: Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) akan berbincang kedudukan Ahli Parlimen Kapar, S Manikavasagam yang menyatakan hasrat keluar parti kerana kecewa dengan sikap sesetengah pemimpin Pakatan Rakyat di Selangor yang didakwanya cuai menjaga kepentingan rakyat.

Timbalan Presiden PKR, Dr Syed Husin Ali, berkata tindakan terhadap Manikavasagam hanya diputuskan pada mesyuarat pemimpin tertinggi parti itu.

“Ini masalah kecil, media yang nak besarkan isu ini,” katanya ketika dihubungi di sini, semalam. Beliau juga enggan memberi sebarang ulasan mengenai dakwaan Manikavasagam itu.

Kelmarin, Manikavasagam mengumumkan hasrat keluar PKR dan mahu menjadi Ahli Parlimen bebas kerana kecewa dengan sikap sesetengah pemimpin Pakatan Rakyat di Selangor yang didakwanya cuai, tidak sepakat dan ada yang berlagak sombong serta enggan berbincang untuk atasi isu dibangkitkan.

Beliau juga menyerahkan memorandum kepada Menteri Besar Selangor, Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim bagi meminta kerajaan negeri mengekalkan Hentian Bas dan Kereta Sewa Klang Utara di pusat Bandar Klang dan tidak dipindahkan ke lokasi baru di Klang Sentral, Selangor.

Sebelum ini, Manikavasagam mencetuskan kontroversi apabila mengkritik secara terbuka dan menuduh Khalid sebagai Menteri Besar yang tidak prihatin kerana tidak turun padang melawat mangsa ribut di negeri itu.

sumber : Berita Harian Online

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Manikavasagam terus menerima sokongan Rakyat Kapar walaupun beliau telah meluahkan hasrat untuk menjadi Ahli Parlimen Bebas.

Hampir 1000 penganut Hindu yang menghadiri upacara sembahyang Khas di Kuil Sri Kaliaman Batu 3 Jeram (Parlimen Kuala Selangor jiran Parlimen Kapar) memberitahu Manikavasagam dalam suatu perjumpaan singkat.

Manakala hampir semua hadirin ke Acara Khas Ahli Parlimen bersama Orang Kurang Upaya juga menerima sambutan baik daripada para hadirin. Jika YB rasa ini jalan terbaik untuk kesejahteraan rakyat, kami sokong kata salah seorang hadirin.

Acara ini di adakan sempena sambutan Krismas di Sri Perantau (DUN Selat Klang) di hadiri oleh hampir 800 orang . Turut hadir Ketua Bahagian PKR Kapar . Penduduk Flat Sri Perantau juga memohon agar Manikavasagam menyampaikan hasrat kepada Kerajaan Negeri  supaya laluan Bas diwujudkan melalui kawasan ini. Penduduk kini menghadapi masalah mendapatkan Bas untuk keluar kebandar serta ke Kilang kerana hentian bas terletak jauh.

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The advent of computing makes document management much easier from the days of pen and paper. Reproduction and duplication nowadays are close to 100% pixel perfect. Nevertheless, this does not mean that that modern document management doesn’t come with negative issues of its own. With the current batch of software, compatibility is one of the major [...]

Bagi pihak Nelayan dan Konsortium Projek Kebun Kerang, kami mengucapkan jutaan terima kasih kepada YB Manikavasagam (Parlimen Kapar) kerana telah memperjuangkan tanah nelayan di Sementa sehingga berjaya. Tahniah di atas kejayaan tersebut. Sesungguhnya perjuangan ini melampaui sempadan bangsa, agama dan fahaman politik. Inilah bukti kematangan politik Malaysia. Terima kasih YB Mike.

Juga rujuk :

• Status Pengkalan Nelayan Selesai
• Selangor Mengembalikan Tanah Nelayan

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I’ve always been more of a GNOME guy, and when running Linux, I use Rhythmbox to play my music. However, Amarok 2.0 might just change that.

They’ve chosen their database - it is none other than MySQL. The release notes state:

Some features, such as the player window or support for databases other than MySQL, have been removed because either they posed insurmountable programming problems, or they didn’t fit our design decisions about how to distinguish Amarok in a saturated market of music players.

If you want to know why the decision was made, read MySQL in Amarok 2 - The Reality. It has a lot to do with the fact that MySQL can be embedded, and performs well. Its a generally useful read to see why SQLite and PostgreSQL was not chosen.

MySQL… powering the music of today!
(wonder as I may, if we will ever get any Enterprise customers, who make heavy use of Amarok over many computers, etc… - I’m thinking modern night clubs, lounges, et al)

Last Sunday, I went to Persada Johor ICC primarily for checking out the last PC Fair of the year. Sad to say it was still the same old stuff being sold to the same people. As usual, the best “deals” are still limited to small peripherals like the ever present USB thumb drives. Fortunately, there was [...]

圣诞节前公司市场部门的同事们交换礼物，很多人都玩过，以前在旧公司也玩过。

抽到一位同事的名字，很快的立刻想像有什么礼物适合她。

低于RM10价值的小礼物有很多，不想随便买。想来给女人嘛，而且还挺会打扮的，耳坠该是首选。

还好自己会弄，而且家里还有水晶和零件，三两下漂亮的水晶耳坠就出炉了。

收到礼物的同事也很高兴，说：唯有女人知道女人要什么。呵呵……是吗？大概是吧。

至于我收到的是一个小枕头，哈，一个刚刚想买，放在办公椅垫背的小枕头，来得真是时候。

看着同事们兴高采烈的拆礼物，心想有多少个人是真心想过对方会需要、喜欢什么礼物。

有的人说随便吧，又不是和对方很熟悉，送什么都可以啦。

有的人说随便什么礼物，一份心意嘛。

可是对我来说随便的话，不如不送。

钱花了，收礼物的人不觉得高兴，那钱花得毫无价值。

就算是五块钱都好，不如吃加料炒粿条算了。

实心实意送礼物也不要对自己收的礼物包太大的希望噢，不是每个人都和自己一样想法呢。

曾经一位旧同事照着价值不超过RM20的游戏规则买了一片巴掌大的玛瑙片，装在盒子里送出去。

后来他收到的交换礼物是一本银行送的记事本。

他很失望，也很生气，觉得这些人怎么一点诚意也没有，就说以后随便送就好了，不用那么用心。

当时我也是送了一片玛瑙片，天青色。后来收到的礼物是一艘24寸长，摆设的木船。

桅杆摇曳，风帆疑似经过了无数风浪，大概是乘风破浪而来的吧。

没有生气，反而很好笑，觉得一片玛瑙让我看透一个人的态度还真值了。

或许在那之前我对送礼没有什么想法，但是一艘破船让我想清楚。

很高兴双喜爸和我一样，抱着认真的态度给家里小朋友们买礼物。

之前就从旁敲击试探看看小朋友们要什么，所以小朋友们打开了礼物都会有惊喜。

小朋友不会掩饰心情，喜欢不喜欢，脸上了然。

如果希望收礼物是很开心的事，那么选礼物和送礼物就要更快乐。

选礼物时认真的态度投影在礼物里，收礼的人打开就可以感受到那美好的气场了。

Available in Japan, the screen edition of MSI Wind titled ‘Wind Nettop CD100-JP’ is organized with Intel Atom 330 at 1.60GHz processor, a 945GC Express + ICH7 chipset, but no OS, RAM, or HDD. How crapper they do that? Measuring 65×240×300mm, this auto screen priced at $288.

Read

MSI, Nettop, Wind

Go to Source

The Yorozu Audio Sound Revolution outfit bestows you the noesis to modify nearly anything into a speaker. Its moving transonic sensor crapper invoke some opencast (anything from a impressible bottleful to a paper box) that it bespoken to a good system. Impress your friends when you offer this child to your body. Hmm…

Image | Via: Technabob

Go to Source

Left 4 Dead crash fix. Yup. I finally found a way to fix Left 4 Dead crash issue. I thought it’s my display card ~ ATI HD 4870 issue. However, after lower the GPU and memory clock back to normal. The Left 4 Dead game still crash. So what should I do? Find a solution online of course. However, there are no real solutions that fix.

Left 4 Dead

(more…)

How is the Christmas? We are back to work and here is our post for 26th Dec 2008.

Wow….3 hours work of art to get this hair done.

This is what written for this video

Eric Hahn broke the official worlds record for the tallest mohawk in Omaha Ne on November 14th. Standing at over 27 inches tall, his mohawk took about 3 hours to create with only a process of hairspray and blow drying. He gave the cut hair from the sides to the charity Locks of Love and a benefit concert later that night went to benefit Project Nightlights and Locks of Love. Project Nightlights gi More..ves sick children their dream bedroom to help them heal.

In fact, Eric Hahn is in the same band as the man who organized the Omaha Zombie Walk, which was featured on Headline News.

I am surprised that the MCA president Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat is saying things that makes neither sense nor logic. It would appear that his short tenure as the MCA President has imposed such a tremendous pressure that he is speaking and acting, to many, completely out of character. Yesterday, [...]

From Melaka Melaka is a lovely city to stroll in. The day we were there, there was a strong wind blowing. My cap almost flew off a few times. From Melaka Nevertheless the tour was made more interesting with tales spun by Melaka blogger, Bibik. I haven’t put a link as his blog is a private blog. From Melaka This [...]

From Melaka The trip to Melaka was an eye-opener. Melaka truly deserves its title as a heritage city. There is this sense of history as one strolls through the old quarter of the city. Of course there are the tourist traps like the crocodile farm etc etc but as locals, we avoided those. From Melaka I was taking [...]

Mitsushima Hikari as Yoko in Sono Sion's Love Exposure


(As I was finishing this post, I found out that this film had won the AGNES B. award at the Tokyo Filmex, congrats!)

After taking photos of Ueno Park yesterday, I rushed off to catch Sono Sion's LOVE EXPOSURE at Tokyo Filmex. Frankly, the main reason I wanted to catch the film was for the experience. It's not everyday that you see a 4-hour Japanese film around! There weren't anything else I knew about the film.

Having not seen any of Sono Sion's films prior to this, and having just read a Bela Tarr interview a day before, I had assumed that this would be a slow and languid arthouse flick that requires tons of endurance and patience. So I packed myself some Black Thunder (awesome chocolate biscuits that you can only get in Japan) and most importantly, a can of coffee. During the (Tokyo Filmex Grand Prize-winning!) WALTZ WITH BASHIR screening at the same film fest a few days earlier, I was dozing off at some parts (not because it was boring, but because I myself was tired), so I didn't want the same to happen again.

When Sono Sion and his cast came to introduce the film, he assured everyone that the film would be 'over in a flash'. I was reluctant to believe him.


From left to right: director Sono Sion, cast members Mitsuhima Hikari, Nishijima Takahiro, Ando Sakura and Watanabe Makiko.


Four hours later, I didn't even open my can of coffee at all.

Let me borrow the synopsis from Jason Gray's blog post (he was at the premiere too).

Protagonist Yu comes from a devoutly Christian family. A certain incident results in his priest father forcing him to confess his sins, which he commits daily out of a strong desire for praise. In the process Yu develops a taste for the sin of secretly taking photos of others and becomes the sneak photography king of high school students, but then he falls in love with a girl named Yoko who he meets by chance one day in town. Their relationship leads to unexpected developments involving a mysterious religious cult...With an extraordinary running time of almost four hours, Sono Sion's latest film is an unconventional masterwork that throws various aspects of contemporary Japan into its wild potpourri, depicted in the framework of an epic love story. His adeptness in presenting chaos as chaos while also realizing breathless entertainment is worthy of admiration. Nishijima Takahiro, lead vocalist of pop group AAA, gives a fine performance as Yu. Mitsushima Hikari and Ando Sakura are also wonderful as the two women in Yu's life.

(by the way, Mitsushima Hikari's personal blog here. In Japanese though)

I'll also add the press notes from distributor Phantom Film that are also on Jason's post.

A high school boy named Yu will go to the extreme, even risk his life to save his step-sister Yoko from a religious cult. A powerful new drama by the one and only auteur Sono Sion.

Yu is a high school boy who lives with his father who became a priest after Yu's mother died. But one day, a woman, Kaori, falls for Yu's father although she knows that he is a priest. Yu is completely against this because he does not like Kaori's eccentric presence intruding the father and son's peaceful life, and even more because she brought with her Yoko, the girl he fell in love with at first sight. He does not want the girl of his dreams to become a step-sister! One day, religious cult member Koike finds this so-called family as an interesting group and kidnaps three members of the family leaving Yu behind on purpose hoping he will join the cult soon. He will not fall for Koike's tricks, but instead will do anything to save the love of his life Yoko from this religious cult. An exciting, powerful drama based on some true events.

Despite its length, the film was surprisingly accessible, and in most of it, Sono Sion aimed to entertain his audiences with lots of humour and homage to martial arts films of the past that he liked. Film's a blend of comedy, action, romance, tearjerking melodrama, character study, family drama and social commentary, so it was firing from all cylinders, aiming to generate all kinds of emotions from audiences. There were lots of laughter during the first half of the film, and as film shifts to darker and more serious territory after its 10-minute intermission (my, I haven't had that since watching a Bollywood film at the theaters in New Delhi last year!) I heard some loud sobbing in front of me. I thought it was a woman, but when the lights came back after the film ended, I realized it was a big guy.

I didn't write about this film immediately last night because I wanted to familiarize myself with more of Sono Sion's works, so that I won't make some needless assumptions in this blog post. So for the entire day today, I was watching an earlier work of his called NORIKO'S DINNER TABLE (2005), starring Kazue Fukiishi (a personal favourite whose photos had graced this blog numerous times).


Kazue Fukiishi

I realize that there are numerous similarities between the 2 and a half hour NORIKO'S DINNER TABLE and LOVE EXPOSURE, especially in terms of plot structure. Both films are divided into chapters, each focusing on the narrative perspective of a different character. Allowing us to dwell deeper into the psychology of the primary characters, knowing their backstories and the like. In LOVE EXPOSURE, the focus is on Yu, Yoko and Koike, and the first three chapters happen concurrently, to show us how each of them ended up at a particular point of the story. But once the title sequence appear (... I think maybe an hour and a half into the film), the plot becomes slightly more linear.

Actually, the introductions of the three main characters, told in slightly different styles, might be my favourite parts of the movie. Those moments were when I started figuring out the actual scope and ambition of the director, and was enjoying how Sono Sion had actually made the film work despite the mishmash of styles and genres (trust me, my description makes it sound more messy than it really is). It's some ballsy and tour-de-force filmmaking. While the rest of the film is still pretty good, and also miraculous in its ability to hold everyone's attention despite its running time (it's actually more fast-paced than the more introspective NORIKO'S DINNER TABLE despite being an hour and a half longer), I felt that LOVE EXPOSURE faltered at some places, and I was a little bothered by some plot holes as well.

I wondered briefly whether, in Sion's attempts to appeal to as many audience members as possible, he ended up making the humour a little too broad, to the point where it became a slight impediment to the story. It's not that I have anything against lowbrow humour, it's just that somehow the whole exaggerated effect of Yu's 'hard-on' feels very out-of-place in this film. It's like watching a Wong Kar Wai film, and all of a sudden he decides to throw in some Wong Jing-esque humour into the fray. Or a serious Sam Mendes drama that's suddenly interrupted by some Farrelly Brothers' style sight gags. As much as it induced giggles among audiences, I was a little bothered then.

Now, when I said that this film's accessible, I meant it more in terms of execution than actual content or themes. The film is still quite dark, aside from being a scathing commentary on modern Japanese society, anarchy, blind belief in religion and numerous other themes that he visited in his previous films (isolation, dehumanization, apathy, family dysfunction), there are elements of incest, lesbianism, cross-dressing... come on, the hero takes pantie shots for a living, for crap's sake. It's also ultraviolent, lots of fountains of blood, and one particularly cringe-inducing scene involves um, not so nice things happening to a guy's genitals.

Sono Sion makes his film with audiences in mind, but that doesn't mean that he compromises and shy away from disturbing content. He explained later in the Q and A session that he found it necessary to depict Yu's sneak photography misadventures in a comical manner (similar to a kung-fu film) in order to make the film more enjoyable or palatable for audiences. Of course, it's also to ensure that the protagonist remains likable. Unfortunately, when asked whether he had any trouble dealing with talent agencies of his actors because of the bold content, Sion didn't seem to answer directly (I was curious to know whether he needed to deal with anything like that or not, with lead actor Nishijima Takahiro being a lead vocalist of a pop group AAA). He merely praised his cast for being daring enough during the shoot. I agree, and I think that the performances, while over-the-top at times (more to do with the screenplay than the actors), are pretty good. Being such an epic tale, all actors get to display a wide range of emotions and the like. Production values are good, even the martial arts scenes are handled well.

Sono Sion is also a poet (read his Wikipedia entry), so he has a good eye for details. He does have something to say in this love story, yet I can see that he was able to pull it off without alienating too many people, so is already a marvelous feat. For an independent (?) film of such ambition and scope, I half-expected it to devolve into a lumbering mess before I entered the cinema, so I was more than surprised with the end results. Not a flawless masterpiece, but still an immensely unique experience, and a really good and entertaining film. I'm interested to see how it'll do at the festival circuit next year, and also when it's released commercially next January. It's difficult not to admire the film.


Trailer of Love Exposure

(UPDATE 3/12/2008): Four days after seeing the film, I would end up stumbling into a role as an extra in a film with lead actress Mitsushima Hikari, was introduced to her, and then had a brief conversation with her. Read about it here.

Just got back from STRIZH at the TOKYO FILMeX. The 2nd film I saw at the festival. I was watching this film in a perpetual state of annoyance and anger. It had nothing to do with the film itself but what happened to me during the screening.

Though I've recovered from my flu, I've been coughing badly. So I coughed during the screening, and a woman sitting few seats away from me whispered 'please stop it' (yamete kudai) to me.

Stop what? Stop coughing? Gee, thanks a lot for being so thoughtful. She made it seem as if I COUGHED IN PURPOSE during the freaking screening. And what did she do? I covered my mouth when I coughed after that, and her? She was dozing during the film, and struggling to stay awake, so what? Miss Moral Police asked me to STOP COUGHING so she could doze off during the film?

Hence my annoyance. Hence the anger. It's not as if I was the only one coughing, hell, there were a few people around us who were coughing pretty badly as the film went on. I didn't see her standing up and asking them to STOP. COUGHING. Well lady, thanks a lot, I'm sure you're very proud of yourself, maybe when you see a guy in a wheelchair, you'll ask that guy to please stand up to walk, maybe when you see an amputee, you'll ask them to grow some limbs, jeez.

The humiliation I underwent pissed me off in the same way Ainur, the heroine of Strizh, a petulant tomboy, is annoyed with most people around her. Unhappy with the chaotic situation in the house she shares with her heavily pregnant mother and alcoholic stepfather, she spends most film wandering around Almaty, the former capital of Kazakhstan. Perhaps her only solace is her cleaner dad.

In many ways, this film reminded me of Bresson's Mouchette and Truffaut's 400 Blows, in fact, this film shared many plot elements with the former (aside from that that, Ainur also lies about her mom's death to skip classes, like Antoine Doinel did in 400 Blows), I almost wanted to ask director Abai Kulbai whether Mouchette was a major influence when he was writing his debut feature. It's about a girl who had been left behind by the rapidly developing modern society, a familiar subject matter and theme in independent films.

This coming-of-age film is familiar, yet exotic because of the culture and locale portrayed onscreen. This is probably the very first Kazakhstan film I've ever seen (frankly, it's probably the main reason why I wanted to catch this film), and the Kazakhstan here is nothing like Borat's! Director Abai Kulbai said that the film was shot during the transition from winter to spring, when the snow is thawing and the first flowers are growing, in order to mirror the emotions of the protagonist, and also her growth. Inessa Kislova, a newcomer Abai Kulbai discovered from his old school, has a strong screen presence that makes the film engaging to watch. Under the hands of a lesser actress with lesser charisma, film would definitely have fallen apart, but I'm stating the obvious here.

Film's shot in HD, and the snow scenery's beautiful. Standout scene for me is when Ainur and a classmate rides a funicular and watches the city of Almaty from above. It's shot with a fish-eye lens, so city is distorted into looking very fantastical, a contrast to the normal, gritty and realistic blandness in other parts of the film.


Director Abai Kulbai during Q and A session for 'STRIZH' at Tokyo Filmex


Like I said, despite my familiarity with its premise, the settings and culture I see are really fresh to me. And during the Q and A session, many questions about Kazakhstan (instead of the film itself) was asked. Reminds me a little of The Elephant And The Sea screening at the Santiago International Film Fest in Chile last year, when audiences showed utmost curiosity towards Malaysian culture and its film industry. Kazakhstan looks interesting because it seems like a fusion of the east and the west, people who look remarkably Oriental, and also those who look Caucasian, Ainur's mom looks Asian, while her dad, based on other reviews I read, is a Russian, so being of (maybe) mixed heritage, makes her an even bigger outsider? Just assumption.

Strizh means 'shorn' or 'haircut'. Film begins with Ainur getting a boy-like haircut at the barber's. In classroom, a classmate takes her baseball cap and writes "Shorn Bitch" (strizhenaia suka, the subtitles I saw was 'bitch with haircut') on it with a correction pen. She blots out the writing with her own correction pen, leaving only the word 'strizh' (shorn/ haircut). A deeper and much more knowledgeable analysis and review of the film can be read here. But it's heavy with spoilers.

I've only seen two Walter Salles films, 1998's CENTRAL STATION and 2004's THE MOTORCYCLE DIARIES, (I'm discounting the short films he did for PARIS JE'TAIME and CHACUN SON CINEMA, but I like his segment for the latter) I enjoyed the former, but I preferred the latter. Walter Salles also had a hand in producing one of my all-time favourite films, Fernando Mereilles' CITY OF GOD.

This film, LINHA DE PASSE, the opening film of TOKYO FILMeX, is a collaboration between Salles and long-time collaborator Daniela Thomas (she was co-director for most of Salles' pre-CENTRAL STATIOn films). She was there to present the film and also for the Q and A session.



LINHA DE PASSE is what some may call a 'slice of life' film, it's about a housekeeper Cleuza (Sandra Corveloni, winner for Best Actress at this year's Cannes Film Festival) and her four sons (all from different fathers): Dênis (João Baldasserini), a motorcycle courier trying to help raise his infant son (he's separated from the baby's mother), Dinho (José Geraldo Rodrigues), a gas station attendant who is trying to seek purity in body and soul through Christianity because of a hinted troubled past, Dario (Vinícius de Oliveira, I was shocked to find out only later through the Q and A session that he was the kid from Central Market) who realizes that he may be getting too old for football tryouts and Reginaldo (Kaique Jesus Santos), whose black skin makes him feel like an outsider even in his own family.

The family live at the outskirts of São Paulo, and the film is really about all of them struggling to live a better life in a big oppressive city. When explaining about the title, LINHA DE PASSE, Daniela Thomas said that it's a children's game played by four people where they have to kick the ball back and forth without letting it drop onto the ground. Which is pretty much the metaphor of this film, as the four siblings are supposed to stay in the game, striving to be respectable members of the society. For the likes of Dario and Dinho, the only way out is football or religion, while young Reginaldo tries to take every single bus in the city to find his real father (the only thing he knows about him is that he's a bus driver), while Dênis faces a moral and ethical dilemma when is given a chance to make more money by committing some petty crime.

It's cliched to remark that the location and settings of the film are almost like a character of their own. But that's really the case, film is actually feels more complex now that I'm thinking of it, as compared to what I thought when I just got out of the cinema. Some social issues and everyday problems are subtly touched upon without being too heavy-handed and preachy. And it probably means more to a viewer when he or she has done more research on Sao Paolo.

The film mostly intercuts between each character's storyline, and apparently, they are mostly based on real-life incidents. It's also very engaging to watch.

Initially, I was most interested in following Dario and Reginaldo's storylines (which are actually quite conventional in their premise, but unexpected in their execution), since I'm curious to see whether Dario can get accepted in a football team, or how Reginaldo's gonna find his father, but I gradually start to like Dinho's storyline a lot as well.

The cinematography's top-notch, alternating between handheld and well-composed static shots, editing's very rhythmic, and acting's wonderful. Except for Vinícius de Oliveira, all cast members were making their feature film debut. When Daniela Thomas was asked why they made a choice to use non-professionals and amateurs, I figured out that the filmmakers probably wanted to preserve the authenticity, since that's mostly what independent Malaysian films go for as well, but another reasoning made a lot of sense. Daniela Thomas said that because they had a very mobile crew, and were doing shooting the film guerrilla-style at public areas, it would be unwise to have a very recognizable face that could attract too much attention.

The film took four years to develop, and it was built around Vinícius de Oliveira, who actually went to football school for four years to prepare himself for the role. And of course, they also wanted to find co-stars who share some facial resemblances with him so that they are believable as siblings. Definitely neo-realism. The subplots of the story gradually builds up towards an ambiguous, open-ended 'Life goes on' ending. As the film was nearing its end, I started figuring out which direction it was heading and was a little surprised. But then, I knew it was impossible to tie up all loose ends without sacrificing the realism of the film, and besides, the last 10 minutes are so haunting and poetic that I felt there really weren't any better ways to end it. In fact, I think this film has one hell of an ending!

Daniela Thomas said that the open-ended ending has more to do with her influence, which I believe, since Walter Salles' own films, THE MOTORCYCLE DIARIES and CENTRAL MARKET, try to provide tidier resolutions in their endings.


UK trailer of Linha de Passe... makes the film seem more sentimental than it really is. Film doesn't have an overwhelming orchestral score like this


This original trailer is better at capturing the film's actual spirit, though still pretty emo compared to the original film, ah well, you gotta do whatever it takes to attract audiences, yeah?

I only managed to catch two films at the Tokyo International Film Festival last month before I got too busy preparing for the meetings at the Tokyo Project Gathering. The first one was the omnibus film headed by Mamoru Oshii, KILL. Which left me very underwhelmed, and immediately after that film, I went off to see THE CLONE RETURNS TO THE HOMELAND, because I was intrigued by its trailer and its title.

Kanji Nakajima's THE CLONE RETURNS TO THE HOMELAND is a rare live-action Japanese science fiction film, and even rarer, an arthouse sci-fi film more in the vein of SOLARIS (I haven't seen either Tarkovsky nor Soderbergh's version, but that's what this film's been commonly compared with in other reviews) than STAR WARS. And being modestly budgeted, the film's aesthetics reminds me of the much-underrated GATTACA. It's more about the ideas and philosophy behind the science, it is the cinematic equivalent of a 'hard sci-fi' novel (that all my life, I could never seem to finish), but instead of being too technical and dry, the deliberately-paced film won me over because it was so visually poetic and marvelously acted.

Film's about an astronaut, Kohei Takahara (Mitsuhiro Oikawa, dude's in many films, but most recently seen in a cameo at 20th CENTURY BOYS as the lead vocalist of the rock band in Tomodachi's cult) who is shaken by the recent death of a colleague and still blaming himself for the death of his twin brother during his childhood (shown in an extended flashback, very harrowing to watch, but Eri Ishida's performance as Kohei's mom when she first encounters the site of the accident, and later the aftermath, is absolutely fabulous and heartbreaking) The guy doesn't really get a break. His mom's dying too, and he promised his mom that he would live extra long to make up for his brother's death.

Alas, shit hit the fan, and he dies in the course of duty. His widow Tokie (Hiromi Nagasaku, the pitiful abused wife in FUNUKE, SHOW SOME LOVE YOU LOSERS! and the cougar in DON'T LAUGH AT MY ROMANCE) seeks compensation, but is horrified to find out that her husband has agreed to be brought back to life as a clone prior to his death. Yet she is incapable of accepting the man, insisting that he's different even if he's a complete copy of her late husband.

Unfortunately this early experiment of cloning is imperfect, and the clone is stuck at Kohei's traumatic memory of his twin brother's death, acting like a child. So the clone is put on observation (ready to be terminated once they create another better Kohei clone). The clone escapes to the countryside to the river where Kohei's twin was drowned to death, and finds the actual corpse of Kohei.

Or did he?

Towards the end, the film twisted to directions I wasn't entirely expecting, becoming increasingly abstract, viewers seeking logical explanations and actual closure to the many plot strands will be disappointed. The things that occur onscreen may have been mere hallucinations, or dreams, because I just couldn't believe that the high-tech facilities where the cloning is done is only within walking distance away from the countryside of Kohei's childhood.

There's not much I can explain, the last act is ambiguous like the last two episodes of NEON GENESIS EVANGELION, or the last few minutes of 2001: SPACE ODYSSEY, it's all up to audiences to draw their conclusions. It's like my latest short film, LOVE SUICIDES.

Ultimately, this film is more like a visual experience, or a mood piece, or a beat poem, than a traditional narrative. Metaphysical questions related to cloning are raised, but seldom answered. But because it also also science fiction, it may also not be taken seriously by the hardcore realist audiences who scoff at anything that slightly defies logic. I enjoyed the film, I was absolutely enthralled by Hideho Urata's cinematography (the countryside scenes are immensely stunning to look at, and once again, poetic).

When the film ended, a question and answer session with writer-director Kanji Nakajima began. An English translator came in front and asked who needed English translation, I was the only one who raised my hand. She stayed around and did the translation only for me. I don't know what her name was, but she was wonderful.

The screenplay of the film won the Sundance/NHK International Filmmakers Award two years ago (Miranda July's screenplay for ME AND YOU AND EVERYONE WE KNOW won the same thing too, and I also met this year's winner at the Tokyo Project Gathering). Wim Wenders served as a jury member that year, liked the script so much that he agreed to exec-produce the film. My memories of the session are vague, but I remember some young dude raising his hand, and then saying stuff about his friend being a student of the director's (apparently, Nakajima teaches too) and him being happy to finally see the director and his film.

Immediately, I thought:
Bullshit, you were sleeping through almost the entire film.

I knew for sure because the guy was sitting next to me (before I moved to the center during the Q and A session for a better view) and his snoring had annoyed me verily.

The director politely asked the kid to remain on-topic, and only ask questions relevant to the film.

Then the guy said something about "Oh, ah, I liked the outer space sequence, er, how did you shoot that? With the space shuttle and all?"

Immediately, I thought:
Yes, of course you liked that. That was the only scene you remember, and you fell asleep after that, genius.

"I borrowed the space shuttle from NASA. To tell you the truth, this film is actually much more expensive than RED CLIFF." Nakajima deadpanned (RED CLIFF was the opening film of the Tokyo Film Fest).

I first saw the teaser of ICHI back in June, it was shown before the other Haruka Ayase vehicle, CYBORG, SHE. And I was mildly intrigued by the idea of doing a gender switch on the classic Zatoichi character, of course, by the time CYBORG, SHE ended, I immediately took a liking to Haruka Ayase and made a mental note to watch this film.

It's been a busy year for the actress, having four films being released (the other two being the Koki Mitani ensemble comedy hit THE MAGIC HOUR, and the latest HAPPY FLIGHT, which came out recently and I may watch soon) And I think she is a very good actress when given the right material (I was first introduced to her via the hideous J-dorama TATTA HITOTSU NO KOI たったひとつの恋 JUST ONE LOVE, which I stopped watching after 2 episodes, and I didn't think she was that promising. A mistake.)

Gradually, I found out more about ICHI, learning that it's the first live-action film from Fumihiko Sori, the director of 2002's PING PONG (he also did last year's animated feature VEXILLE, which I haven't watched). I watched PING PONG only a few weeks ago on late-night TV in Tokyo, and that movie was fabulous enough to increase my anticipation of this movie.

I'm not that well-versed in the Zatoichi mythos, having only seen Takeshi Kitano's 2003 version (which I really enjoyed), and having some vague memories of the older black and white films that my dad used to watch long ago during my childhood. And because once again, I was watching the film without subtitles, there were many guesswork involved, I had thought that this film was a re-imagining, so it never occurred to me that this film could be a partial continuation of the previous films until I read Todd Brown's review on Twitch, and that the female protagonist was being trained by the original Zatoichi, who is possibly her dad.

The plot of this film is similar to what I remembered from Beat Takeshi's Zatoichi. The wandering protagonist goes to a village to make a living by performing music, but finds her normal day job interrupted when she unwittingly gets involved in a Yakuza war.

The disfigured main bad guy Banki is played by Shidou Nakamura, and he makes a lot of crazy faces, like the bad guy character played by Koichi Sato in SUKIYAKI WESTERN DJANGO (Riki Takeuchi's also in the film as Banki's second-in-command, and I agree that he was definitely engaged in a crazy-face contest with Shidou). Yosuke Kubozuka, main actor in PING PONG (and that was probably the most recent film I've seen with him in it, I actually haven't seen anything he did after he fell off from the balcony of his condo back in 2004), plays the son of the local yakuza, who is pissed that he's helpless against Banki's gang. (before I read Twitch's review, I thought he was the son of the sheriff or something, was never aware that villages are protected by Yakuza) There's also a subplot of a useless and bumbling wandering samurai played by Takao Osawa who befriends Ichi, and can never seem to draw his sword out of his sheath due to some tragic incident, and a motherless little boy who serves as Ichi's guide.

What I thought about this film, after I walked out from the cinema last week, was that it was crafted very well by Sori. It was beautifully photographed, the stark snowy landscape adding upon the tragic and isolation of the Ichi character, and certain shots are composed in a very artful and unconventional manner, they really show show Sori's indie roots, separating him from most bland and boring TV-trained directors I've seen recently in Japan. Aside from the gorgeous cinematography, I also noticed that Haruka Ayase was also framed in a way that most shots accentuate her sharp features (her face is normally tilted in a slight angle). I guess that's the thing about watching foreign language films without subtitles, since I'm not busy reading the subtitles, I get to pay attention to other details.

Aside from the climatic battle sequence, each action scene happens in brief spurts, but choreographed very well. So it is very thrilling whenever Ichi's forced to draw her sword from her cane. However, this film is quite a downer, and Ichi's a perpetually lonely and tragic figure. Much unlike previous portrayals of the Blind Samurai character, whom I remember more as a cheery, laidback rogue whose blindness can sometimes be used for comedic purposes. Not in Ichi's case, especially when towards the end of the film, there is an extended series of flashbacks that show her past, and makes the character so tragic it's unbearable... sigh.

I think this is Sori's homage to this classic genre, so instead of loading the film with anachronisms, or throwing in nice little tap dancing moments, he follows genre conventions respectfully and with fondness, throwing in archetypes and predictable plot developments (Banki fights honourably, but ultimately he's 100% evil). In the end, I find it a little difficult to like the film, I truly appreciated it for the filmmaking, for the production values, for the performances, but I wasn't blown away. The film didn't do well at the domestic box-office, but I still think it's a film worth admiring. But of course, I rather see Sori inventing something new and unexpected like he did with his debut feature PING PONG.


ICHI trailer

My posting here had been erratic because I've spent the past few days trying to do some research for my writing. I intend to do another short film, and this isn't the ambitious one-taker that I've been talking about last month (I'm planning to do that in Malaysia instead). The ideas for this new film came during my time at the TIFFCOM, and I continued playing around with it in my mind when I was in Rome, and then Malaysia.

During conversations with coursemates, I've half-jokingly said that I would adapt SNOW COUNTRY by Yasunari Kawabata, but instead of having a man and a geisha, I'll update it so that it'll be about a middle-aged salaryman and an Akihabara maid (or a waitress in a maid cafe). I just had images of two lonely figures traversing down the empty streets of Akihabara (which, unlike Shinjuku and Shibuya, seems really empty and isolated at night) The reason why I thought of using an Akihabara maid is because they are often figures of ridicule by the non-Otaku crowd, and the sight of Akihabara maids trying to give out tissues and leaflets to disinterested people at the streets always feel a little poignant to me. So why not try to examine a person behind the cute costume? After all, the 'subservient maid' is just a role they play at their workplace.

My last film, LOVE SUICIDES, almost had zero dialogue, so to keep up with the personal principle of making each film as different from one another as possible, I intend to make this a dialogue-driven character piece. Of course, by doing that, I will also need to spend an entire night at Akihabara finding the right places for the shoot. Ideally, I would also like to interview a maid to research my role, and I wonder whether I want to do such an interview because I saw the protagonist of celebrated Korean auteur Hong Sang-Soo's WOMAN ON THE BEACH doing the same thing. (the film's about a director going to a beach resort to write a script, and picked up a woman for 'interview' because she 'reminded' him of someone and he wanted to 'develop the female role based on her')


WOMAN ON THE BEACH


And that's what my research had been about. Aside from meeting up with some friends who could possibly help me with this shoot, I was recommended by Ming Jin to watch some films by Hong Sang-Soo (a favourite of his) because I may have been trying to attempt something similar to his. Therefore Ming Jin thought it was better for me to watch the master of such works so I would know whether I were attempting something inferior (and avoid it). And so I watched his films, WOMAN IS THE FUTURE OF MAN and WOMAN ON THE BEACH, both are films about relationships, not in a glossy manner, but in an awkward, realistic manner. Most men in the films are loutish, while the women seem to be the more sensible ones, yet despite clearly knowing the flaws and questionable intentions of the men they were with, they stuck with them, as if they had some sort of martyr complex, an incisive reflection of a culture focused on social status and power?

(Note: posters of Hong Sang-soo films look deceptively like glossy, star-studded studio romantic comedies, but they're not.)

They are not easy films to watch (among the two, I preferred WOMAN IS THE FUTURE OF MAN), but Hong Sang-Soo's depiction of characters and the situations they face are interesting and unique, and somehow, they actually remind me more of James Lee's 'LOVE' trilogy (I've only seen the first two films, BEFORE WE FALL IN LOVE and THINGS WE DO WHEN WE FALL IN LOVE, I liked the lead actor of BEFORE WE FALL IN LOVE, Chye Chee Keong, so much that I wrote the dad role in CHICKEN RICE MYSTERY with him in mind, and was shocked when he was the one who contacted me after I posted a call for casting online!). I share Martin Scorsese's thoughts about Hong Sang-Soo's multi-layered storytelling skills in the video below.


Martin Scorsese introduces WOMAN IS THE FUTURE OF MAN


When talking to Ming Jin on Gmail chat, I've asked what would happen if I couldn't find any Hong Sang-Soo films, which other director's works can I use for reference, and he mentioned Hirokazu Kore-Eda, who directed NOBODY KNOWS (the then-14 year old Yuya Yagira won Best Actor at the Cannes Film Fest for the film, making him the youngest in history to do so) and is also an alumni of Waseda University, the uni I'm going to. Kore-eda's a sensitive director who has a good eye for details in characterization and subtle storytelling, I've not seen NOBODY KNOWS, but I've seen his HANA, which I enjoyed. In my attempts to find a Kore-Eda film to watch, I ended up stumbling upon the film SWAY (Yureru ゆれる) by Kore-Eda protege Miwa Nishikawa starring Jo Odagiri and Teruyuki Kagawa (after seeing so many films with him this year, the guy has became one of my favourite actors).





Another harrowing film, but immediately I knew that Miwa's another filmmaker I'm going to keep an eye on because, like Hong Sang-Soo, she also showed me more possibilities with character studies in cinema. She's also a Waseda alumni! I'll probably want to find more of her other films. She's probably only the first Japanese female director I know about aside from Naomi Kawase (okay, there's also Sundance NHK winner Aiko Nagatsu too, whom I met at the TIFFCOM, I'll be looking forward to her debut feature, Apoptosis... I wonder whether she'll help me out with my script development too, hm)

Yes, one can say that if I really wanted to study the characters, I should hang out with Japanese people instead of just watching films, I don't refute that, but when you only have a rudimentary grasp on the language, you'll probably end up NOT knowing what you were observing. I like my Chinese subtitles, thank you.

You'll hear more about my film soon, I hope.

I don't celebrate Christmas, but I decided to do something for the day. The plan was simple. Meet up with my friend Sen-san (she's from China, her surname's Sen, and somehow 'Sen-san' is more catchy than her actual Chinese name, so that's what I always call her), have sushi at Ueno, and then go to cool places with Christmas decorations where I can snap some photos, and she can test her Nikon D70.

So we had sushi at Ueno in the evening, and when the sun was gone, we headed for Ueno Park, because after visiting the place a few weeks ago and taking dozens of awesome photographs, I just knew that decorations SHOULD be spectacular at one of the biggest parks in Tokyo.

After all, the obvious choices were Roppongi or Ginza for the beautiful Christmas decorations, most people were going there. Being who I am, of course I wanted to go against the grain and uncover some unexpected treasures at Ueno Park.

I was wrong. Only the solitary tree near the entrance of Ueno Park was decorated. Although it did look nice, it wasn't what I expected. I was expecting lines of light covering each and every single tree in Ueno Park. No such luck.



I decided to be even more creative. I suggested to Sen-san that we should visit the famed Senso-ji, or known as the Asakusa Temple, because even though it's unlikely that there would be CHRISTMAS decorations in a BUDDHIST TEMPLE, I assumed that being a festive period, the place would be crowded and filled with life.

This temple left the deepest impression for me during my numerous visits to Tokyo as a child. I remembered mostly the shops of Nakamise-dori, the street that leads to the temple. My mom used to buy souvenirs here, and I once bought a Dragon Ball Z game for the Famicon when I was 9. It would be a wonderful trip down memory lane.

The shops would all be open until late at night with hundreds and hundreds of people shopping, buying stuff and just having fun. That was the atmosphere I craved.

So we took a quick subway ride to Asakusa and hurried to the Senso-ji, past the famed Kaminari-mon.



It was only 7pm. But all the shops of Nakamise-dori were closed.



We continued walking past the shops and to the Hozomon gate, famous for the huge lantern hanging in the middle.



It was so quiet.



Sen-san then tried to take photos of the Nisonbutsu. A pair of seated Buddhist statues dedicated to Senso−ji Temple. They are two of the most magnificent Buddha statues created during the Edo Period.



On the left is a Mahasthamaprapta (Seishi Bosatsu) statue, guardian of Buddha wisdom.



On the right is a Kannon (Guan Yin) statue, the goddess of mercy.



The temple was nearly empty. My gaze wandered to the pagoda of Senso-ji, and the surrounding bare trees, and then to the starless black sky. The winter wind blew, it was suddenly a little chilly. Sen-san put on her scarf and her hat, making a remark about our fruitless photo-taking expedition.

I frowned.

Another quiet Christmas has passed.

Let us impart YouTube, because not every of us hit sufficiency money to measure the automobile calculate for 54,000+ lights:

Merry Christmastime love readers!

Tags: Carol of the Bells, Christmas Eve, Trans-Siberian Orchestra

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Let us thank YouTube, because not all of us have enough money to foot the electric bill for 54,000+ lights:

Merry Christmas dear readers!

Tags: Carol of the Bells, Christmas Eve, Trans-Siberian Orchestra

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Wan Ahmad Farid Wan Salleh thestar.com.my Wan Ahmad Farid Wan Salleh A Website Top In The Approach List Or Just An Addition Or Spur Of The Moment It Is Interesting To Note When An UMNO Leader Begin To Realize The Awesome Possibility Of A Website Zubli Zainordin When a leader has power authority and money, to set up a website is easy. Yet, it is a question of what happen [...]

Still December 25th when I posted this, so I’m still not too late Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! Called Joneh, Cindy and Kay yesterday but couldn’t get any of them! At least the person who picked up Joneh’s phone (was it you Mrs J?) did mention he’s busy. And I did get SMSs from Kay and [...]

It’s not snowing here and belike another parts of the concern but today is Christmastime day! Have you conventional anything Christmassy or Linux-related from your friends? I got a penguin plushie from digit of my co-workers at the mercantilism heritage abstract that happened during the party. Her cipher study then was Wanda the Fish! How amusing, right? XD

Have you finished whatever of the Christmassy things that saint has mentioned on his journal entry most a Linux Christmas. While not every of us are rattling celebrating Christmas, friends and kinsfolk belike are. I wish that if ever whatever of them got Linux-powered computers, deal with them what it’s same to ingest UNIX and maybe inform them a abstract or digit most it. It could be their prototypal period orientating themselves with UNIX and you could be the digit who would attain a disagreement to them by gift them a beatific warning in using it.

Happy holidays!

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Suatu perkembangan yang menarik apabila Gapena (Gabungan Persatuan Penulis Nasional) mula menunjukkan “taring” dan memberi kata-dua kepada kerajaan UMNO/BN untuk memansuhkan PPSMI sebelum 31 Disember atau mereka mengambil tindakan mahkamah selepas tempoh itu. Seharusnya ia dilakukan enam tahun dahulu semasa PPSMI mula diperkenalkan dan saya sebenarnya ragu apakah “ancaman” Gapena akan memberi impak besar kepada [...]

Merry Christmas everyone! We hope you’re having a blast this Christmas and will receive lots of presents this year.

Speaking of presents, here’s the final list of prizes you stand to win by participating in the myMacBUZZ New Year’s Giveaway.

10 Epic Service packages from EpiCentre. Each package entitles your Mac or iPod to a full check-up and optimisation by the EpiCentre iConcierge. Heartiest thanks to EpiCentre for sponsoring these packages!

5 licenses of Mailplane worth USD24.95 each.

2 licenses of 1Password worth USD39.95 each.

Thank you Mailplane and Agile Web Solutions for your sponsorship. These will be highly coveted for sure!

1 myMUG cap courtesy of the Malaysian Mac User Group

1 Apple polo shirt (size S)

3 exclusive Apple Online Store tshirts (size L)

1 invisibleSHIELD of your choice for your iPod or mobile phone.

1 Dash-Pad from ZAGG the makers of the invisibleSHIELD

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Wall-e mousepad and keychain torchlight (1 set)

208 piece Wall-e jigsaw puzzle (1 set)

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Last of all, Merry Christmas everyone!

Saya menerbitkan semula laporan Ahkbar Sinar Harian@ SentralKhamis 25/12/2008 seperti dibawa ”

” HANYA POLITIK MURAHAN MANIKAVASAGAM

Shah Alam- Tindakan Ahli Parlimen Kapar, S. Manikavasagam menghantar memorandum merayu mengekalkan Hentian Bas dan Kereta Sewa Klang Utara daripada dipindahkan ke Klang Sentral kepada Menteri Besar , Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim kelmarin disifatkan sebagai ‘politik murahan’

Ahli Dewan Undangan Negeri (ADUN) Sungai Pinang, Teng Chang Khim berkata , beliau kesal dengan tindakan Manikavasagam kerana sebarang bantahan seharusnya di sampaikan melalui saluran yang betul dan secara baik.

Katanya, Manikavasagam dan Ahli Parlimen Klang, Charles Santiago sebelum ini tidak membantah keputusan kerajaan Negeri untuk memindahkan Hentian Bas berkenaan pada mesyuarat yang diadakan pada 16 Disember lalu.

“Saya kesal dan menyesal memberi sokongan kepada kedua-dua Ahli Parlimen berkenaan semasa pilihanraya lalu kerana sikap dan persembahan mereka sebagai Wakil Rakyat kawasan itu sangat menghampakan rakyat.

” Tindakan mereka merupakan mainan politik murahan untuk menipu rakyat bagi menutup kelemahan mereka kerana gagal membawa sebarang isu di Klang dalam persidangan Parlimen,” katanya pada sidang medianya di sini semalam.

Beliau yang juga Speaker Dewan Undangan Negeri berkata, keputusan untuk memindahkan terminal berkenaan dibuat selepas mendapatkan nasiaht daripada pakar dan mengambil kira kepentingan keseluruhan perancangan bandar.

Katanya, perpindahan terminal berkenaan juga mempunyai kebaikan terutamanya dalam mengurangkan kesesakan lalu lintas yang berlaku di Klang dan secara tidak langsung menggalakan penggunaan pengangkutan awan.

“Kita kekalkan tempat sedia ada untuk digunakan bagi mengambil penumpang dan menambah beberapa perhentian bagi melancarkan lalu lintas di bandar Klang.

” Tindakan mereka amat tidak professional apabila mereke cerita sedangkan tidak menpunyai pengetahuan dan maklumat lengkap mengenai projek ini” katanya.

Menurutnya, melalui perjanjian yang telah dibuat antara pihak pemaju dan Majlis Perbandaran Klang (MPK) , sekiranya MPK gagal untuk mengalihkan operasi pengangkutan awam di bandar berkenaan, MPK perlu membayar Kos hanpir Rm12juta kepada pemaju.

Chang Khim juga menolak dakwaan Manikavasagam bahawa kesepakatan dalam kalangan pemimpin PR semakin rapuh sebaliknya beliau berkata, PR akan rapuh jika mempunyai pemimpin yang bersikap seperi MP Kapar itu.

“Perkara ini merupakan krisis peribadi kedua-dua MP berkenaan dan bukannya membuktikan wujudnya Krisis antara pemimpin PR,” katanya. “

Pendapat Saya:

1) Dalam mengutuk saya rakan persejuangan YB Teng Chang Khim, mengeluarkan rahsia yang tersemadi dalam perjanjian antara MPK dengan Pemaju iaitu kita menanggung Kos RM12juta jika gagal memindahkan Terminal Bus ke Klang Sentral.   Sudah beberapa kali saya serta Saudara Charles meminta MPK memberi sesalinan perjanjian tersebut tetapi tidak dilayan oleh mereka.  Beliau adalah Adun kawasan SG Pinang sejak projek ini di mulakan . Masa itu pembangkang, kenapa tidak menyoal Kerajaan semasa itu….

Dia juga berpendapat biar orang awam tanggung Kos Tinggi daripada kenaikan Tambang jangan sekali MPK menanggungnya atas kesilapan termaktub dalam perjanjian.

2) Siapa kata hantar memo kepada Menteri Besar ” Politik Murah” . Mana lagi hendak saya hantar . Dalam Mesyuarat pada 16 Disember 2008. YB Teng yang menyuruh kami DIAM diri dan jangan menyoal. Ahli Parlimen tiada kuasa , ini Selangor Saya Berkuasa.

Siapa Yang Main POLITIK MURAH ?

3) Kesesakan di bandar Klang wujud kerana pembinaan and naik taraf lebuhraya persekutuan oleh Kerajaan Persekutuan . Pembinaan tersebut kini dilanjutkan tempoh kerana karenah politik seperti YB yang mahu mempergunakan keadaan itu sebagai alasan pemindahan.

Kesesakan lalu lintas di Bandar Klang akan terus berlaku sehingga Kerajaan Persekutuan membina Jambatan Ketiga merentasi Sungai Klang. Ian