Petronas Section 15 Bandar Baru Bangi

Today the 31st of January 2009 at around 9 am, i filled RM 50 worth of petrol. Needed a tin of Milo and Nescafe so went in to get one... was on my way to N9 to do some layout and pegging work and the sorts. I had no choice but to pay using another RM 50 note, but was rudely informed by the cashier that they had no change... and cheekily said they can cater for my purchase by giving Rm 1 notes and shillings. I suggestively mentioned they should be more prepared to customers situation such as this. In turn the cashier retorted in a rather hard & loud tone that it was because of customers like me that these situations arise... and its the same with other retails or businesses. i wanted to explain to the cashier that what i meant was for the management to take note and study their clients/costumer/consumers cash payment pattern... after more than a years operation they should know what to expect and prepare the needed small change thus avoiding these awkward situations. it would be futile to explain to a hot headed sarcastic cashier (it would also raise my blood pressure as well). another option is to put a large sign saying 'please prepare exact change'. we see this often at toll booths but so i'm sure none of them ever say "we don't have change" and refusing payment.

the attitude of the staff was also inappropriate. wearing Petronas's trademark white and green shirt, it was no where near the famed trustworthiness and caring image of Petronas. it is not the staffs fault, they may lack intelligence & proper communication skills and by the looks of it not involved with management & administrative decision making duties. the cashier maybe a wee bit too uneducated but please stop tarnishing Petronas's retail image.

this may be a small issue but it reflects a lot on the quality of service generally. most of us have encountered such incidences and not one of them have ever been pleasant. service with a smile!

The Star 31 January 2009, N21; Ministry to Advise Families.

The intention, ideals and aim of the Women, Family and Community Development Ministry to develop a financial planning program is commendable and has been way overdue. Previous administrations were never serious in tackling this issue and most of them were just left on paper and forgotten in time.

However what Dr. Ng Yen Yen should realize is information, data and research done by BANKS are not necessarily reflective of the actual situation. These commercial corporate institutions will and shall provide biased findings and even assumptions. They may not be able to define the scope, indicators and what more the methodology appropriate for this issue, which i must remind, is a social issue. the basic subunit of a country is the family unit. How can one give the responsibility to educate family financial planning to a commercial/profit oriented financial institution? why not just ask Ah Longs to give advice? However, Bank Negara's AKPK, the Ministry can learn from their experiences (AKPK uses the term borrowers and potential borrowers first, Malaysians comes second by the way).

If sincerity is to be seen for this planned financial planning program, the Ministry should consult Universities with a strong social research background (especially on consumerism, home economics & financial planning), consumer associations & other related bodies/institutes/NGO's and lastly Institut Sosial Negara (only God knows what they are doing over there) which may understand this issue more thoroughly. It has been an unspoken tradition that most research done by the government on social issues are laughed at by the academics. the main reason because of selection of the wrong expertise and secondly biased selection of data interpretation & statistics presented to the masses.

the education system should also play a part. support publications of financial planning books/booklets/pamphlets, if necessary in each level of study... primary, secondary and the most critical; tertiary education students. it is at the tertiary level where some believe that an individuals spending and saving habit evolve and mature. to get more serious, include a compulsory subject about it for all students. maybe a 2-3 hour lecture. imagine what a 2-3 hour on family financial planning lecture could do for those thousands of young Malaysians and to-be adults which will face financial turmoil sooner or later.

also cooperate with religious bodies. they have a far more down to earth reach thru Masjids, suraus, churches and religious functions. since religion is so deeprooted in society, it is only logical to utilize it to spread the message of good family financial planning. maybe include a talk for pre-marital courses.

these are just some ideas from a fellow Malaysian which i am sure the government has thought of. why wait? Act!

Blablablabla & Anugerah Juara Lagu!!!!

The bukit kuang issue or the lori hantu issue has been pestering the locals for FIFTEEEN years. TV3 said so, so did the current pig sized ADUN of kuang. 15 years and NOW the piggy ADUN shows his face and starts making noise. Where the fuck was he when Khir anak Toyol was Chief Minister? The Selangor state government better settle this issue and prove their worth… if not they’ll just show the same uselessness as BN.

The RM 15,000 fund for Penang Chinese Association sure has become a big issue. Heck… they even had Pulau Pinangs GPMS & Hindu society giving comments. The GPMS clown and Hindu rep was way off tune. Let me give a clearer picture……. Please observe the file pictures of previous CNY functions held by the mentioned association (shown by TV3)…. We can clearly see middle aged Chinese ladies wearing gold necklaces, rings and dyed hair… even the hairdo is enough to feed a small African nation. So, where the heck does charity come in the picture? Does feeding overfed wealthy businessmen and women, politicians and high ranking officers defined as charity? And that Hindu association guy… I don’t think he even understands the main issue. Maybe TV3 gave some vague facts and both men happily made their own conclusion. Penang’s CM was right to refuse to fork out the donation. It sure would be different if it was a fund raising event. Hell, Chinese associations have so much money why the hell must they ask donations from the state government? NGO’s running charity homes, orphanages, education programs, religious awareness… it would be understandable… but not lush feasts for overfed people.

Now… there was a brief telecast of AJL… the red carpet event started at 7.30 pm. Hordes of Malay youths…. Glamorous artists posing, cameras flashing… all glam and vogue… and I bet 89.9% of these people didn’t do their Maghrib prayers. As for the artists… maybe 99.9%. It aint easy scrubbing off thick makeup and foundation for wuduk. Those people already seated inside the main hall??? The crew and props? Huh. No wonder PAS is so against such entertainment programs… they converted sooo many muslims into worshippors of entertainment. Putting aside all the sexy bitches, the people who didn’t pray and all the possible maksiat going on… the three MC’s asked the crowd to recite Al-Fatihah??? At the same time promote NSTP’s Palestine fund… two so said religiously linked acts… at a fucking function totally against Islamic principles. Amazing Malaysia. Shocking Asia.

Lets talk a bit about Malaysian artists… specifically music. We lack talent. We lack good vocals. We lack good new refreshing creative composers and lyricists. In the end were stuck in an era where there are so many wannabes and lousy musicians. Well, maybe Aizat and Faizal Tahir are ok. But where the hell are those artists with charisma and caliber like Siti, Aishah, Sharifah, M.Nasir… gone are those days. Heck… I can bet you NO local artist would survive if Malaysia opened up its doors freely to Indonesian artists. We even have to protect our artists… like protecting Proton & Perodua!!! Hahaha… hilarious since Proton, Perodua and our local artists have one thing in common… all of them are lousy. Crap, I take that back… Aizats singing and he’s good singing live.

Have I ever mentioned about that reality show… the one about dancing? It’s amazing how ugly Malaysian dancers are on stage, this referring to both physical appearance and also the dance moves itself. Some were better off being freak shows or clowns.... and the costumes intended to be elegant & sexy turned out to be hideous & repulsive. A third rate Latin movie with dance moves is a billion times much better and smoother than any of the participants.

I am a bit bitter today. PAS won yesterday, and that eases my mood a bit. Shoulder pain… too much driving.

Wah... Faizal Tahir won 3 awards... but lost the Juara Laguy title!!! Hahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!! He must have thought the award was his for sure. Pity Aizat didnt win, his vocals was good. I think the best performance was the medly by those kids with Jack, M.Nasir, Jamal Abdillah... they overshadowed all the contestants. The Hussien (or husin?) kids sure rocked. Strip them of the 'Indie' title... once you go mainstream... that title is no more. Same thing happened to OAG.

KT by election

Its interesting when you know wahid will win for sure. the reason why... well... during the march elections selangor, perak, kedah... all went to PR. terengganu people being the lalang they are, would definitely go for an opposition MP. no offence to terengganu people, but it is a fact that they just follow they flow....

i did piss off a few natives... talking out loud and condemning the state umno. i talked vehemently on how umno should be spelled mno... the united flushed down the toilet. there is no unity. the existence of elitism... separation of class and gap of wealth... selective preference... all caused by a culture deep within umno... sorry... mno.

i cant imagine our next pm to be sitting among smelly fisherman talking about hardship of the fishing industry. i can't imagine pak lah understanding a word spoken by farmers complaining on the high maintenance cost, fertilizers, commercial feed... most of which are controlled by non-bumis. what does tuk pa do about it? retain the old method of buying from non-government agencies and subsidizing it to farmers at the country's cost. the rationale of making a government controlled (100%) producer of commercial feed or fertilizer has never occurred? nope, no commission. its better buying, watering 'em down... diluting 'em... then proudly presenting it as subsidy. chinese plantation owners just laugh at our subsidies... low quality dirt.

owh... to the owner of a silver proton waja TQ 5455, please bear in mind if i do meet you, i'd break your leg sincerely and maybe rupture your spleen as well. terengganu drivers are bastards i tell ya. imagine driving at 100kmph... less than 50 meters away an idiot suddenly enters the road at 30kmph... just barely missed ramming into him. whats more the fucking guy was wearing a KOPIAH... to make it even better the bastards slut wife glared back like it was MY fault. huh... it has been a while since i saw red. if anyone asks me why i never allow my wife to drive i'd say; 'she's from terengganu'. that's reason enough.

The by election was nominally eventful. no significant riots or bloodshed. maybe because bn and mno knew they were gonna lose as in p44. secondly because its general knowledge that terengganu mno has rifts within the party. not something a by election can mend. also found it amusing that not many samsengs were about. i'm assuming this is because most of the samseng kampungs father or mother or grandad are all hardcore PAS supporters? hahahaha.... would be kinda funny to see an mno samseng being dragged by the ear by his tuk or tuk ki.

another reason why i hate terengganu is because of their peddlers, resteron owners. semua ketuk kaw2. huh. besides the lousy food... the only compensation is that the chicks taking orders were a wee bit cute.

there was however an incident that did piss me off. there were bn and mno banners and flags outside my mother in laws house. geuss what, they didn't even ask permission from her, but instead asked from a neighbour whom is also a relative. pukimak anak haram betul la orang umno ni. tak reti budi bahasa, orang melayu ada adat and budi pekerti, orang umno lak amalkan sikap kurang hajar. Mak bapak korang tak ajar ke? almost tempted to burn those flags out in the open in front of the kampungs markas BN... but cooled down when mum in law said that it was okay for her. huh.

anyways... will start the project soon... assuming one house is enough... if two are needed, a loan is necessary.

I wonder where suntut victim is nowadays...

Anyone seen Saiful the anal sex fetish? Should ask his dad then, he was so proud of his son being an anal fan.

Over and over i find it impossible to believe that a 20 something kid would allow an aged man... a man with back problems... to sodomize him... 6 times!!! Saiful must sure like anal pleasure, if not he'd certainly just shove the old guy away. I mean, to force a well built youth to strip his pants down, forcefully parting his legs... that needs a lot of physical strength. Something the old man would definately lack. All gay men out there, get Saifuls contact number please!!!

And to think that the first person Saiful poured his heart out was Najib... of all the people. Maybe they have the same passion in anal pleasure. Well, we can't rule that out just yet. We have the police, Religious Affairs Department and logically.... a DPM isn't someone easy to get hold of. So this enlightens us on one value Najib has, which so far no other minister has shown... he loves to hear sodomy stories no matter how busy he is? Ok.. well then... all sodomy victims, or fetishers please contact Najib... he'll be willing to hear your stories of problems... ie what type of lubricants, positions... the sorts.

The judiciary must be liberated. Malaysian courts are far better known because of anal cases and biased rulings plus executive inteference than transparency. Heck... we don't even call the Palace of Justice as Istana Keadilan in Malay because of politics.

Zahid our Tokoh Maal lalalala... Women University up and coming...

Holding any portfolio relating to any religion is a very heavy burden. Recently the joke is Tokoh Maal Fitnah & Tokoh Maal Pindah. Referring specifically to Zahid & Mat Taib. One making baseless and at times unintellectual accusations, and one carries cash around from one country to another.

Zahid's idea to rouse OIC troops is commendable only if it materialises. Unless so, it'll just be seen as a political move. Points. Nothing more than that. Like a dog barking up a tree. Ends there, no more.

Also... around some circles... there are whispers of a Women University to be built... somewhere in the East Coast... most probably Kelantan. Possibly mimicking Texas's Women University. A few alumni of that particular institute are here in Malaysia and some have already retired from the academia... even know who has been suggested to lead as rector, deputy rector... but heck... it'll take a year or so for it to properly materialise.

I personally think its a good move. Gender issues have always been something seen lightly. Especially in a male dominated community. Gender issues education has somewhat had a rough ride. It isn't easy educating old male geezers and male chauvinists who are soooo full of themselves. Thats one reason why i still like Shahrizat. She did her part... and is still contributing i whatever capacity she has. Only wish she'd listen more to those who are an authority on the matter and not listen to idiot advisers who can't even define qualitative and quantitative research properly.

Recently there was a a seminar by so called social researchers. One main speaker mentioned on how a certain method was considered qualitative... which was not only fundamentally wrong but also basic. And they call themselves researchers??? WTF. If only i had a heavy set pair of boots i'd hurl it at 'em. No wonder our leaders have been misled so many times... they had the wrong resource people, con-men putting masks made of academic jargon, and can't even come up with a decent research. Wrong indicators, wrong sampling methods... its pathetic. Social research should not be biased and based on political whims and interests. It should be free from any meddling. The results are facts, not customised to fit the taste of anyone. The interpretation of data should be in accordance to international standards. Not simply picking a reading suitable, with no explanation nor relating it with whatever necessary. Remember what Tun Mahathir said about the Proton Juara? 'I was ill advised'. Hahaha!

Met an uncle recently... he talked about some performance indexing his company uses. A system to evaluate performance. One thing for sure... currently only cavemen used that theory or system. We are sooooo outdated. Saddens me. That was a private c/o... i cant imagine how the gov does evaluation. Possibly on how many blow jobs an employee gives the boss? Possible.

Whatever it is... looks like within the next 4-5 years i'll have to be close with KJ one way or another. No choice i guess. Unless someone else becomes MP of Rembau.

Prof. Kornberg insulted in a sense?

Roger D. Korberg, Nobel Laurette for chemistry 2006. Something to do with eucaryotic transcription. The potential of his findings might as well change they way medicine is practised, but also allow space for debates on ethics... would it be possible to grow an arm? Treat AIDS? Make a more potent strain of anthrax? Rejuvenation? The possibilities are endless.

Anyways, we already know the functions of DNA transcriptase. Basically its how we replicate DNA material. Forensics have long ago used reverse transcription methods. Same goes to medical research regarding microbs specifically viruses.

Anyways, he was interviewed recently live on tv. Geuss who the interviewer was.... a TV Host or Pengacara TV. I mean.... the bloody professers a Nobel Prize winner!!!!!!! Why the fuck does he have to be interviewed by a bloody tv host... and not by a professor of chemistry/biology/biotech/molecular biology/or whatever fucking field related??? Malaysia has to stop insulting the academia. I did notice that Kornberg was being polite... but i sure bet deep inside he's asking himself who the hell is this high school kid thinking he understands complex molecular chemistry, am i on a show for kindergarden kids????? Hell,even i wanted to know details of the processes involved, even if it was a little peek. Its not often we get such esteemed academics flying in Malaysia... and the TV host just HAD to fuck things up.

The Gaza strip is getting a wee bit hotter these days. What we don't know and what isn't told by the media is how many Palestinians die each day. Pray. Pray we win over them. Pray no more moslem blood is spilled. We can only pray, at least most of us. I know a guy who literally tookup arms and joined the fight.

Met some keadilan members yesterday. Might be joining camp in KT. Kalau rajin.

Islam Hadhari?

I am no scholar, mark that. What i believe and write are confined to limited knowledge picked up here and there... besides those from an institution i did attend for some years.

Islam Hadhari to me... is just paper and words. There is no essence. Islam itself is already a complete way of life... creating Islam Hadhari is just an insult, no matter what the explanations or dalils these people use. More importantly, most people see it as something churned up just to impose an image of Islamic leadership in Malaysia. Never heard of people saying Innaddeena Enda Allah il Islam Hadhari. Lets face it, it would be more appropriate to explain Islam as a whole rather than reinventing something even people as jahil as me would laugh at.

I don't even want to go thru the so called principles... its just a joke. Over and over i meet PAS supporters, both male female, rich and poor. Since they get the impression that i'm a blunt and straight forward kinda guy they always ask me what i think about the current ruling government.... i'd always say something like this,' Ada orang perasan nak jadi nabi, bawak Islam Hadhari. Aku bukan penganut Islam Hadhari, aku orang Islam'. They'd laugh and get the idea. One thing unacceptable by PAS and most people who understand is regarding the deep rooted hatred towards Islam Hadhari. It's just a farce... using Islam. All things going on currently OPPOSE whatever Islam Hadhari states. I can't afford to blabber each little detail now... its too exhausting.

However... i would like to comment on how little the current batch of youths understand about Islam. KL kids... drugs, carefree sex, alcoholics, sexy clothing, tattoos, out of wedlock babies and some even wear crosses??? What the hell is going on? Owh, its the era of Islam Hadhari. Some people don't even know how to solat, let alone mengaji. IKIM? Owh, its just a radio program. I do find certain programs and the intention of ikim.fm as good,but IKIM itself isn't giving the impact much needed by society.

Now, lets talk about the youth... there is a high rate of dropouts in the 12-15 year old age group. Kids with problems, problematic families social problems, inadequate financing etc. The factor varies. Now... this may lead to social ills such as drug abuse, rempit, crime... and a list of social problems. The majority? Malay kids. The solution? NON. What one cabinet minister was proud of... even to an extent of boasting... is ow our prisons, pusat serenti... are full to the brim and how the government will fund more rehabilitation centres. How ironic... curing the illness instead of preventing. Malaysia is too consumed and focused on the bright successful kids and ignoring all together the outcasts. Millions poured in funding students... non helping kids on the streets. Whats more... since Ng Yen Yen is now MOF big shot... almost all the funding goes to NON-Islamic NGO's. They get millions. How many Islam or Malay based NGO's get incentives from the government???? Christian missionaries.... Charity societies... all non-Islam or Malay based. The muslim and Malay society are too blind and consumed with politics to even care about such matters. Truth be told... even ABIM, JIM, PPIM... don't realise. Lousy insensitive ignorant bastards. Serves them right i guess, hypocritical idiots.

A bit about consumerise...

A little bit about consumerism...

What the hell is consumerism? All i know is that people buy, people sell, transactions occur, don't like it... don't buy it. It may seem as simple as that but believe me... theres more to it than just buying and selling.

If one notices... consumerism ideals has been valiantly fought by NGOs. Among the vocal ones are the people from Penang, Selangor, some other states and on a more national level the PPIM. They may have different drives and orientation, but all in all the same final objective... protecting consumer rights and promoting awareness.

Lets take a simple issue... say Coke or Coca Cola. I'm sure everyone has at least received a dozen emails or read a dozen articles on how this popular soft drink is somehow related to anti Islam groups... its health hazards yadayadablablabla. I am also sure that most of us still drink Coke, and almost 100% sure most of us would say; 'So what, tak luak pun diorang kalau aku boikot tak beli'. Heck, even i still drink it.

Now... lets talk about numbers. Lets say there are 26 million Malaysians. Roughly 5 million households? Let say 1 household buy 1 type of tooth paste, one tube per month. Lets say the monthly expenditure for tooth paste per month is 1 buck (senang nak kira). That would mean 5 million worth of toothpaste is consumed per month. Lets say Colgate has a market share of... 35%? Thats already 1.75 million worth of tooth paste. Lets say they get a profit margin of 30%, thats already 525k per month. We all know a tube of paste isn't 1 buck. Theres also the possibility of usage of more than 1 tube per month. Big bucks... and all thanks to the exemplary marketing strategy they use. Colgate is synonymous with toothpaste.

Now what would happen IF some NGO or consumer association goes around publishing articles regarding the 'halal'ness of a particular product? Doubts will rise. Especially in a majority muslim country such as ours. What if a rumor (and i say this because rumors are just so fun to talk about and people sooo gullible to believe) circulates saying a certain type of cleaned chicken was not in accordance to syariah (tak sembelih ke, patahkan tengkuk je ke). Heck, all hell would break loose. Happened a few times recently...and again showed one fatal weakness in Malaysia's enforcement system. Understaffed, under qualified to deal with rising global and complex issues. Even the famed melamine scandal showed incompetency... if China didn't detect it earlier, i doubt Malaysia would even be aware of the threat. Its amazing that we have no FDA, only MOH to handle our safety. I did poke around in MOH. It seems that whatever regulation made to systematically monitor import of drugs and food... is just on paper and full of loopholes which importers capitalize on. There are no regular checks on consignments/shipments. No random checks and food contents and quality. How can we be sure what we eat isn't hazardous? This also opens the door wide open to corruption. Substandard substances certified as standard. The Q for quality merely stands for Qorruption? Haha!

Anyway... we must know our rights as consumers (not that i know the specifics, but being involved with research certainly has its benefits). There should be a few websites regarding consumerism.Check it out. Also logon to PPIM's website (it's a lousy website by the way, not too user friendly, how IRONIC).

We the consumers have every right to obtain information on a paticular product. Being more and more complex and sofisticated, we sure as hell should brush up on health hazard & issues, food security, current pricings and maybe we should push certain items to be government controlled (not the BERNAS way please or Pharma Niaga way). And don't forget,we are not talking only about products or items.... services as well.

Reform... a never ending quest

Happy new year to all. Somehow managed to stay put at home keying in data for some extra cash. Planning to go out with some friends within this month...

Heard sone funny news... Mat Hassan recently tried to get involved with the appointment of YDPBNS... a fools errand i'd say. For one, the Undangs are hard core conservatives. THE pillars of adat pepatih long ago absorbed in the roots of N9. The system is rather crude... despite urbanization and globalization... the core of the minangkabau's spirit is still relevant. I would explain more about it but that would relive memories of my answering SPM's essay (somehow i manage to get an A1 in Sejarah despite not having a textbook). As to be expected, Mat Hassan was kinda shooed away. He has no business within the circle and was considered an outsider. I'm not even sure what suku he's from. Always joked that some people are from suku biduanda and suku this and that.... but some are from 3 suku! >.<

PKR Selangor is facing problems, or is it? We generally know most of the Indian PKR members are also members of Hindraf... this i know from personal experience. Kapar and a few others are demanding that the leadership should take heed of their demands regarding the Indian community.

There are two ways to look at this... one to ASSUME that reform takes 10 months to materialise... another assume reform is a continuous process... and a never ending one at that.

I believe that the leadership SHOULD heed the plights of the Indian community, more so when we also realise that a majority of them are also muslims. Forget colour, forget race. Islam is for all. However Kapar must also realise the effects of his actions... it shows immaturity, impatience and the lack of loyalty for a common cause. It is not possible for change to occur overnight, nor is it possible to change institutions or norms. I wonder if Kapar is assuming that Samy Toupee, despite being in power for decades, has done as much as PKR has done in 10 months? If money is the aim of his demands (money for development,not personal use) than there is always a solution. Heck, Samy has been using the Indian issue for so long to get personal benefits... i'm sure Kapar can do a better job in his current position as he is sincere and spearheading his community's plight. As usual the media has been sending out the wrong messages. Always confusing people and directing attention to the wrong issues or point of views.

Another way to look at this is... theres a hidden agenda. Losing ground in a PKR held state will definitely to an extent affect PKR. Theres a by election looming. Political play is at hand.

Some did say Khalid is running the state in a business like manner. He WAS with sime darby. He is a corporate figure, and better still..he is a bloody good corporate manager. How better to run a state if not effectively done corporate style? 10 months to reform a state... is rather impossible. More so when there are other shadowy parties jumping at every corner attempting to fail the process. The shadow government? More like a joke, how can one as filthy with bacteria as a toilet bowl... want to expose stuff he did bluntly when in power? Sounds not only hypocritical but outrageous as well. Anyone noticed why Toyol seems silent recently? I only hope enough evidence has been found to lock him up for good. Did go to Shah Alam's government buildings after the election... files were missing, cables unplugged and gone... sure did a hell of a job clearing stuff. You have to acknowledge these people have skills when covering up their tracks.

Another thing to be reminded is... there is a large majority of civil servants in state that are pro-umno. Saying this... refers to top management level. Hell, you dont get appointed if you don't have the political leverage and backing (an umno way of life). This PKR must learn... and Penang has shown an example. Appoint people disregarding the political background... but based on capability and skills. Yes, i know this is almost unheard of... but no harm in mentioning.

Another thing (which i have mentioned before)... keep at bay those who seem to support reform recently. We never know their true intentions. Some sway. Some are pure opportunists. Some maybe sincere. We all know about Ruslam Kasim... the mere mention makes me barf in disgust. But truth be told... he was facing a tough time, rougher than most, economically speaking. He wasn't as established and sturdy monetarily as those like him in the early days of reform. I may not like him but i do understand his situation.

I was thinking of bashing ABIM today, but maybe later on. They have been laying low for a while and the ground troops have been rather buzzing with activity. I'll save it for another day... about JIM too.