A TOLL-tal disappointment

BUTTERWORTH: Come Sept 1, users passing the Sungai Nyior toll booth of the Butterworth Outer Ring Road (BORR) will have to pay toll.

The Malaysian Highway Authority (MHA) said in a statement yesterday that the toll rate would be from 50 sen to RM2.

The toll rate is 50 sen (Class 1), RM1 (Class 2), RM2 (Class 3), 50 sen (Class 4) and 90 sen (Class 5).

The new rate is slightly cheaper than originally proposed on Feb 12 but deferred due to public protest..............

- The Star (Wednesday August 15, 2007)



Slightly cheaper? My ar*e! The public were not asking for lower rates! We don't want to pay the toll. Period.

Now, I'm trying very hard to refrain myself from swearing. I'm a nice guy, so I won't pepper this post with more profanities. Ugh!!

For those not familiar with the new Butterworth Outer Ring Road(BORR) which was opened earlier this year, well, the Sungai Nyior toll booth is not even on any part of this BORR. The stretch of road has been in used for the past 10 years - FREE.



Along the new BORR, there are already toll booths built. Ok, that's fair. But why build another toll booth on an old road away from the BORR project? Hmmm, maybe they miscalculated and bought too much building material. So build another toll booth somewhere la. Problem solved, extra profit some more. The guy moron who came up with this brilliant idea probably got a big pat on the back, and an even bigger bonus! This is the Bolehland wat. (To the authorities: Sorry, pure speculation on my part. Can't take a joke meh?)

I'm still trying very hard to hold myself back. Grrrrr!!!

The reason for the toll booth was published a few months ago. But I can't remember it now and I didn't believe it then. Because it didn't sound credible enough? Sounded like it was cooked up by the spin doctors?

I'm TOLL-tally disappointed to say the least. Hmm, I might wake up one day to find a toll booth right in front of my house. Hey, strange things can happen.

Aiyoyo Samy!!!!! Yenna daaaa!!!!!

Psst! My pet has got something to say. See picture below.

Now I can't hold myself back anymore. So, excuse me, I'll go bang my head against the wall.



Okay okay, this cute fella is not really my pet. And I don't know what it's actually trying to do. Do you? :)

~No animal has been harmed in the making of this post~

What's in a name

It was reported in The Star a couple of days ago(14th August 2007) that a person is allowed to change his/her name only under "special circumstances". "For example, if an applicant wants to change his name because it sounds like a derogatory word, we will allow him to do it," the National Registration Department director-general said.

So, basically, you can change your name only if the person(s) giving you your name f**ked-up badly, or they hated you. Anyway, shouldn't it be the other way round? Every adult should be allowed to legally and through proper procedure change his/her name unless the chosen new name is offensive or violates any rule.

Imagine a guy called Chau Hai(not vulgar la, er, unless you're a Cantonese speaking chap) wanted to change his name. He goes to the designated gomen department, and the following conversation ensues when the gomen officer decides to interview him:

Officer : Apasal Encik nak tukar nama? Mesti ada alasan yang munasabah!
Chau Hai : Pasai itu nama tak elok.
Officer : Apa yang tak elok?
Chau Hai : Bunyi macam, errr, itu, err...
Officer : Apa tu?
Chau Hai : Aiya, itu la... susah mau cakap la.
Officer : Bagi tahu saja lah, kalo tak bagi tahu tak boleh diluluskan.
Chau Hai : Aiyo, cib*i la!
Officer : Hoi, apasal mencarut ni! Jangan kurang ajar!!!

Well, the situation above is just a figment of my imagination. But I think the officers in charge of handling name-change applications can look forward to some hilarious moments.

Oh, by the way, I do know a guy called Chau Hai... seriously... so stop laughing. If he knows I wrote this, well, you won't be reading anymore of my posts anytime soon. My dear friend, please forgive me, at least I didn't disclose your surname ma(see, I'm a considerate guy). On the positive side, this friend of mine can easily change his name legally - and choose a much better name. But for the rest of us, we're stuck with our uninteresting names.