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One chef, one ingredient: Peruvian chef Gaston Acurio on chile Posted: 31 Dec 2012 12:10 AM PST Peruvian chef Gaston Acurio. — AFP-Relaxnews pic LIMA, Dec 31 — If you are what you eat, then it could be said that chefs are what they cook. In an exclusive series from Relaxnews, some of the top chefs from around the world share their favourite food ingredient to prepare and eat, every week. Whether it be peas, apricots, or sea urchin, the answers are as varied as the chefs themselves. This week, Peruvian rock star chef Gaston Acurio, who been described as the Jamie Oliver of Latin America, heats up the series with his pick: the aji amarillo, or Peruvian yellow chile. Relaxnews: Why did you choose this ingredient? What's your favourite memory associated with the product? I chose it because to me, it's the essence of Peruvian flavour, and it's the flavour of many memories throughout my life. As a child, I opened the refrigerator, and there it was. And today, I use it all the time - in raw dishes (especially cebiches and tiraditos), stews, and more. When is the ingredient in season? It's in season all year. What's the best way to cook it? There are three main ways I prepare it or cook with it: raw, sliced and mixed with onions to serve as a salsa; blended, as a base for cebiches and tiraditos, and cooked in a sofrito for stews and rice, like for arroz con pollo, a traditional Peruvian chicken and rice dish. What other ingredients does it pair best with? It's such a versatile ingredient and works well with almost any raw dish, risotto, gazpacho, dipping sauce, vinaigrette, stew, or even burgers. What are the most common mistakes people make when cooking with this ingredient? I think the biggest mistake is looking for the spiciest aji amarillo. It's best to look for flavour, not spiciness. Do you serve it in your restaurant and in what dish? Yes! We serve it in our tiraditos (a raw fish dish), causa (a potato dish) with tuna tartare, aji de gallina (a chicken and rice dish), arroz con mariscos (a seafood and rice dish). — AFP-Relaxnews

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Everton boss Moyes sorry over ref confrontation Posted: 31 Dec 2012 06:59 AM PST Everton manager David Moyes. — AFP pic LONDON, Dec 31 — Everton manager David Moyes has apologised to referee Howard Webb for confronting him to question a decision at the end of his team's 2-1 defeat to Chelsea yesterday. "It is a hard job the referees have. I was wrong to do that," Moyes told the BBC. "I thought it was a free kick on Leon Osman on the edge of the box in the 92nd minute by (Frank) Lampard and he didn't give it," he added. "I've apologised to Howard Webb afterwards because I shouldn't do that coming off the pitch." Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson was criticised for his outburst at referee Mike Dean during his team's 4-3 win over Newcastle United last week. The United boss was fuming after Dean awarded Newcastle's second goal, over-ruling his assistant who had flagged for offside. When Dean came out for the second half of the match, Ferguson, who escaped FA punishment, followed the referee on the pitch, venting his fury. — Reuters

Lampard heading for Chelsea exit with no talks planned Posted: 31 Dec 2012 06:48 AM PST Chelsea's Frank Lampard (C) reacts after their English Premier League soccer match against Everton at Goodison Park in Liverpool, northern England December 30, 2012. — Reuters pic LONDON, Dec 31 — Lampard's goals have ensured he will always have a fond place in Chelsea fans' hearts but with no contract extension on the horizon his future at the heart of the club looks increasingly doubtful. The midfielder's 191st and 192nd goals for Chelsea in their 2-1 win over Everton yesterday took him to within one of Kerry Dixon in second place in the club's all time scorer list, but there appears to be no room for sentiment as Chelsea's powerbrokers prepare for next season. "We haven't been talking about a new contract in the last couple of weeks," Lampard told the BBC. "At the moment nothing has been said and my contract is up in the summer." Lampard, 34, has made more than 500 appearances for the club since joining from West Ham United in 2001 for 11 million pounds (RM54 million). He arrived with a bagful of potential but was moulded into one of Europe's most feared attacking midfielders with an uncanny knack of timing runs into the box and a magnet for the loose ball. His two goals against Everton showed that while the legs may not be able to carry him from box to box as they did in his heyday, his ability to be in the right place at the right time remains. "I'm enjoying playing, I'm working hard in training, I'm loving being part of the team," he added. "That is all I can tell you for the minute and that is enough for me I am happy with that — to keep playing well and to contribute to days like today." Chelsea have a new generation of attacking midfield players in Juan Mata, Oscar and Eden Hazard who are all capable of playing in the 'hole' while the high-energy Ramires patrols the central areas. With further additions likely, Lampard would be wise to think hard about whether it is better to allow his star to wane on the fringes of the squad or go out on a high with his role in last season's Champions League triumph still fresh in the mind. With media reports suggesting other clubs would be keen to offer him a short-term deal, he would have to decide whether he would be happy to play a bit-part role at Chelsea in the manner of Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs at Manchester United. The Lampard situation reflects the harsh new dawn of UEFA's financial fair play rules which mean high-earning individuals cannot be indulged purely on their past achievements. The noises coming out of Stamford Bridge suggest Lampard's future is in the hands of boardroom officials rather than interim manager Rafa Benitez, who was at pains to point out that his responsibilities are restricted to the training ground. Benitez has brought steel to Chelsea's previously porous defence and won four consecutive Premier League matches, but any traction he may have gained in the corridors of power does not extend to the drafting of contracts. "My job is to keep Lampard fit. He is a good player. He is under contract, fully committed and working hard and that is the way. We cannot say too much about this," Benitez said. "My job is to win games, coach the players properly, and keep my opinion if I have to give my opinion," he added. "The key part is to improve the players on the pitch." — Reuters

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Old rites for New Year Posted: 31 Dec 2012 04:50 AM PST For much of the globe New Year's Eve involves sipping bubbly with friends until the sun comes up. But others have rather more curious habits. — AFP-Relaxnews pic PARIS, Dec 31 — As the clock strikes 12 today, millions will pop champagne corks and light fireworks while others indulge in quirkier New Year's rituals like melting lead, leaping off chairs or gobbling grapes. One of the world's oldest shared traditions, New Year's celebrations take many forms, but most cultures have one thing in common - letting one's hair down after a long, hard year. For much of the globe this involves sipping bubbly with friends until the sun comes up, seeing out the old year with bonfires and flares and off-key renditions of Auld Lang Syne. But others have rather more curious habits, often steeped in superstition. In Finland, say tour guides, people pour molten lead into cold water to divine the year ahead from the shape the metal sets in. If the blob represents a ship it is said to foretell travel, if it's a ball, good luck. In Denmark, people stand on chairs and jump off in unison as the clock strikes midnight, literally leaping into the new year. (The Danes also throw plates at their friends' homes during the night - the more shards you find outside your door in the morning the more popular you are said to be.) The Dutch build massive bonfires with their Christmas trees and eat sugary donuts - one of many cultures to consume round New Year's foods traditionally believed to represent good fortune. Spaniards, in turn, gobble a dozen grapes before the stroke of midnight, each fruit representing a month that will either be sweet or sour. In the Philippines, revellers wear polka dots for good luck, while in some countries of South America people don brightly coloured underwear to attract fortune - red for love and yellow for financial success. Despite regional and cultural differences, for most the New Year's festivities are a chance to let off steam before the annual cycle starts all over again. "This is a holiday that is about relaxation and letting go," explained George Washington University sociologist Amitai Etzioni. "The whole year people are chained by social requirements, morals, laws... "And then there comes some occasion in which society says for today, 24 hours, for this evening, all bets are off, all norms are suspended, and it's OK. "The next day we have to get back in line." Historians say people have been marking the year change for thousands of years. The ancient Romans, who gave us the solar calendar, celebrated in a way similar to ours. Playing, eating, drinking "It was a day of public celebration. People spent the day playing, eating and drinking," according to French historian John Scheid of the College de France. "During the period of the empire, the first four centuries AD, this originally Roman custom became a general festival in the whole Roman world, and so it remained until today." January 1 became the day widely marked as New Year's Day only in 46 BC, when the emperor Julius Caesar introduced a new calendar. March 1 had been the first day of the year until then. Medieval Europe, though, continued celebrating New Year's Day on dates with religious significance, including Christmas. In 1582, Pope Gregory XIII replaced the Julian calendar with the Gregorian one, correcting mathematical inconsistencies. Most Catholic countries immediately adopted the calendar and its January 1 start, but Protestant nations did so only gradually. Britain and its then-colonies, including the United States, were among the last to introduce the new calendar, from 1752. While most of the world has now adopted January 1 as the official start of the year, some still hold their festivities on other dates. Orthodox churches celebrate on January 14 (January 1 on the Julian calendar), while the Chinese New Year can fall on any date between January 21 and February 20, depending on the position of the moon. This year, it will be February 10. — AFP-Relaxnews

Three reasons people break their New Year’s fitness resolutions Posted: 31 Dec 2012 12:18 AM PST A new US survey finds that nearly half of those who set fitness goals as their New Year's resolutions give up within six weeks or less. — AFP-Relaxnews pic NEW YORK, Dec 31 — Nearly two thirds of adults set fitness goals as part of their New Year's resolutions. But 73 per cent abandon those goals without success, often within six weeks or less, according to a new US survey announced Wednesday. On average, those people who set fitness resolutions say they have tried and failed to achieve those goals around four times in the past. The top three stumbling blocks are difficulty in following a diet or workout regimen (42 per cent), difficulty getting back on track once they fall off (38 per cent), or inability to find time (36 per cent).  Bodybuilding.com commissioned Harris Interactive to conduct an online survey of nearly 2,100 adults 18 and over. Of those surveyed, 25 per cent said they would post their New Year's fitness resolution on a social network, with 11 per cent saying they would seek advice and support from their social networks. In addition, 32 per cent say that following a physically fit friend or family member via their Twitter or Facebook would help them stay motivated.  According to the American College of Sport Medicine in the US, those new to exercise are likely to quite within three to six months.  How to override the trend? The first step is to surround yourself with supportive friends and family, advises the website SheKnows. Then start small: plan short, 10-minute exercise goals. Take is easy, advises WebMD, since injury can derail your best intentions if you take on more than you're ready for.  SheKnows also advises planning ways to overcome roadblocks, such as finding a gym or fitness class nearby to avoid travel time, or purchase a jogging stroller to exercise with your child in tow. Be sure to add variety to keep it interesting, and don't beat yourself up if you slip up one day. — AFP-Relaxnews

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‘African Grammys” hit by series of hitches Posted: 31 Dec 2012 06:41 AM PST ABIDJAN, Dec 31 — A music awards show dubbed the "African Grammys" was hit by an embarrassing series of hitches yesterday culminating in the absence of star Chris Brown and an apology by the organiser. Artist Sessime received the award for "Best Newcomer Female of the Year" at the Kora awards ceremony on December 30, 2012 in Abidjan. — AFP pic The show had been delayed from Saturday to enable rapper Brown to attend, with organiser Ernest Adjovi initially blaming the delay on Brown missing his flight but later saying heavy rains and other logistical hiccups were behind the postponement. Brown finally arrived with singer Rihanna in the Ivory Coast city of Abidjan on Sunday, when he was due to perform at the glitzy Kora Awards that recognise musical achievements from around the continent. But while the Koras were going on at a luxury hotel, the US singer was a few minutes away in the national stadium performing at a much-delayed concert for "Peace in Africa." Benin businessman Adjovi later apologised for the numerous "dysfunctions" that had occurred during the three-hour ceremony. R&B star Brown landed overnight in Abidjan, the Ivorian economic capital. Rihanna, who hails from Barbados, was by his side, wearing dark glasses. The pair have a tumultuous history, and celebrity watchers obsessed about whether they are an item again after Brown admitted assaulting Rihanna in a case dating back several years. Brown was sentenced to five years probation, a yearlong domestic violence programme and 180 days of community labour after pleading guilty to assaulting Rihanna on the eve of the Grammy Awards in Los Angeles in 2009. Ivorian quartet Magic System won the Kora award for best African group of the year while best artiste from the continent was DJ Arafat, another Ivorian. Chidinma from Nigeria enchanted the ceremony and won the award for best musician from west Africa, while Algerian rai singer Cheb Khaled was best north African artiste, and French rap group Sexion d'Assaut took the award for the "African diaspora" in Europe. Chris Brown, whom fans call "Breezy", won the US equivalent. "Mama" Patience Dabany, former first lady of Gabon and mother of current head of state Ali Bongo, was proclaimed "woman of the year." Past Kora ceremonies have been attended by South African anti-apartheid hero Nelson Mandela and the late "King of Pop" Michael Jackson. For Ivory Coast, which is still recovering from four months of post-election violence that ended in April 2011 after claiming some 3,000 lives, the event signals a return to normalcy. But the awards have drawn fire over the price of admission, with tickets costing one million CFA francs (RM6,116) for a seat in the luxury hotel for the ceremony. Such a sum is far from the reach of people in this poor west African country, the world's top cocoa producer. — AFP/Relaxnews

Most blogged artists: Lana Del Rey, Cloud Nothings Posted: 31 Dec 2012 06:29 AM PST American songstress Lana Del Ray caused quite a buzz this year with her "Born to Die" album. — AFP pic LOS ANGELES, Dec 31 — On December 31 Lana Del Rey stays in the Hype Machine's most blogged artists chart thanks to a Sound Remedy re-work of her hit single "Video Games," while Cloud Nothings re-enter the charts thanks to several end-of-year round-ups. Love her or hate her, American songstress Lana Del Rey caused quite a buzz this year with the release of her major label debut album "Born to Die". One of the hit singles from the album, "Video Games," was very recently treated to a re-work by LA-based electronic music producer Anthony Howell aka Sound Remedy. The re-work hit the web last week and was described by Pop On And On as a "hip electric makeover" while Hilly Dilly called the track Sound Remedy's "best remix yet." Listen to Sound Remedy's take on "Video Games" here. Elsewhere on the Hype Machine's most blogged chart, Cloud Nothings are causing a stir after their track "Stay Useless" was picked by many music blogs as one of the best tracks of 2012, as bloggers look back on the year that was. Surviving The Golden Age, which ranked the track as 19th out of the top 50 tracks of 2012, described "Stay Useless" as a "noisy anthem for the aging punk." The album on which "Stay Useless" appeared — "Attack on Memory", Cloud Nothings' second studio album released January 2012 — was also picked as one of the top LPs of 2012 by numerous music blogs including NOMP, Jonk Music and Side One Track One. Check out "Stay Useless" here. — AFP/Relaxnews

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Angry Birds, YouTube among top apps of 2012 Posted: 31 Dec 2012 07:52 AM PST TORONTO, Dec 31 — Angry Birds, Instagram and Facebook continued to be among the most downloaded apps of the year but rising stars also earned coveted spots on smartphones and tablets. Instagram was one of the top downloaded apps for 2012. — AFP pic This year consumers spent on average two hours each day using mobile applications, an increase of 35 per cent over last year, according to analytics firm Flurry. The number is expected to continue growing in 2013. "2012 was a transformative tipping point in the way consumers use apps," said Craig Palli, a vice president at mobile marketing company Fiksu, adding that the biggest shift is in consumers' eagerness to turn to apps for a broad range of day-to-day tasks. Categories such as social networking, media and entertainment, photo editing, and games, continued to captivate consumer interest, with YouTube and Angry Birds being the top free and paid apps respectively at Apple's App Store. Meanwhile, several apps released this year quickly joined the ranks of the top downloaded and revenue grossing apps of the year. The game Draw Something for iPhone and Android quickly gained widespread popularity when it was released in February, and despite dropping off, is still the second most downloaded paid app of the year Android and Apple devices. "It had a big run and other multi-player puzzle-oriented games like newcomers LetterPress and ScrambleWithFriends proved popular, too," Palli said. "But in many respects these titles were inspired by the more revolutionary Words With Friends." Songza, a music-discovery app for iPhone, Android and Kindle Fire, saw significant growth in both the United States and Canada, where it is now one of the top free apps on the App Store. Paper, a sketchbook app for the iPad, is estimated to be one of the top grossing apps released this year according to Distimo, an app analytics company. It was named by Apple as the iPad app of the year. But the real revolution, according to Palli, is among consumers who are eager to turn to apps for their day-to-day tasks, such as finding a taxi or hotel, following current events or increasingly, making payments. "It is really consumers who are turning to apps first and traditional methods second," said Palli. Uber and Hailo, which allow users to book limos and taxis, and AirBnB and HotelTonight, for finding accommodations, began to move mainstream in 2012, Palli said. Payment apps such as Square, and Apple's introduction of the Passbook has further positioned the smartphone as a digital wallet. This year, during major events such as the Olympics, Hurricane Sandy and the US presidential election, the top apps on the App Store reflected those events, said Palli, showing the demand for keeping up with current events through apps. — Reuters

Sudan closes think-tank after protest , says director Posted: 31 Dec 2012 07:45 AM PST Sudan's President Omar Hassan al-Bashir waves his walking stick as he addresses the crowd during the inauguration of the new Hadida oilfield in Hadida, South Kordofan State, December 27, 2012. — Reuters pic KHARTOUM, Dec 31 — Sudan shut down a leading pro-democracy think-tank today, a day after the organisation helped stage a protest against government crackdowns on campaigners, its director said. The Al-Khatim Adlan Center for Enlightenment and Human Development (KACE) was one of a number of bodies that tried to deliver a petition to the country's human rights commission yesterday. Police armed with batons blocked their way and, today, a government official told the organisation its operating license had been withdrawn, director Bakr Afif told Reuters. Sudan has avoided the mass "Arab Spring" uprisings that unseated rulers in neighbouring Egypt and Libya. But authorities have clamped down on a series of small protests over corruption, rising prices and austerity measures imposed to cope with an economic crisis exacerbated by the secession of the country's oil-producing south last year. "We were informed today by the Humanitarian Aid Commission (HAC) that we have to close and that our license has been annulled," said Afif, referring to the government body that licenses non-governmental groups. Security agents later took documents and other property, witnesses said. KACE, one of Sudan's biggest civil society organisations, held workshops promoting democracy and the rule of law and said it was working to establish "long-term peace and stability in Sudan" on its website. It had helped draft the protest petition that gave details of alleged cases where the government had hampered the work of other groups. A source at HAC declined to comment, saying a separate state body was responsible for the closure. The source added KACE could appeal against the decision. No one was immediately available to comment from Sudan's security service. Police fired teargas at university students in early December after four days of protests following the death of four students from Sudan's strife-torn Darfur. The demonstrations were the most sustained to hit Sudan since a wave of small protests against government austerity measures in June. — Reuters

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Operasi meroboh banglo terjejas di Puncak Setiawangsa bermula hari ini Posted: 31 Dec 2012 02:25 AM PST KUALA LUMPUR, 31 Dis — Kerja merobohkan sebuah banglo yang terjejas di Puncak Setiawangsa ekoran kejadian tanah runtuh Jumaat lalu dilakukan hari ini. Timbalan Ketua Polis Daerah Sentul Supt Othman Abu Bakar berkata operasi tersebut akan mengambil masa beberapa hari bagi mengelak berlaku lagi runtuhan tanah. "Operasi itu dijalankan secara berhati-hati bermula dari bahagian bumbung banglo berkenaan dan ke bahagian bawah secara perlahan-lahan," katanya di sini hari ini. Beliau berkata seramai 283 penghuni di kawasan itu telah berpindah manakala  tujuh lagi banglo masih berada dalam zon tidak selamat diduduki. Rumah yang dikosongkan dipantau 24 jam oleh pihak polis dan Rela bagi memastikan keselamatan harta benda. — Bernama

Tokoh agama akan dijemput bersama Hadi dalam rancangan TV — Rais Posted: 31 Dec 2012 01:16 AM PST KUALA LUMPUR, 31 Dis — Menteri Penerangan Komunikasi dan Kebudayaan Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim (gambar) berkata tokoh agama dan mufti negeri-negeri akan dijemput untuk bersama dalam forum yang akan memberi peluang buat julung kalinya kepada Presiden PAS Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang bagi memperjelas amanatnya yang telah memecah-belahkan umat Islam di Malaysia. Rais berkata, Hadi tidak boleh membuat keputusan bersendirian dan terlalu yakin dengan kebolehan dirinya yang berlatar belakangkan pendidikan agama "kerana sentiasa ada orang yang lebih bijak daripada kita". "RTM adalah hak rakyat dan ia boleh diguna untuk menjelaskan sesuatu perkara, tapi bukan satu saluran sahaja (Hadi seorang), ia mesti disertai oleh pihak-pihak yang juga ada ilmu, nas dan pengalaman," katanya kepada pemberita selepas Program Larian Tahun Baru 1Malaysia di Dataran Merdeka di sini hari ini. Presiden PAS itu, katanya harus bersedia untuk menerima pendapat orang lain dan forum tersebut akan dibuat dalam suasana yang sesuai. Rais berkata Hadi tidak boleh membuat tanggapan bahawa keputusan (Amanat Hadi Awang) yang beliau buat pada 1981, itu adalah muktamad. Menurut Rais Hadi bukan ahli jawatankuasa fatwa atau majlis agama Islam negeri, sebaliknya beliau hanyalah seorang ahli politik yang mengeluarkan pandangan sendiri dan pandangan itu pula berasaskan sentimen yang diselubungi oleh politik. Rais juga berharap Hadi akan menarik balik tuduhan kafirnya ke atas pengikut Umno semasa berlangsungnya program itu dan jika beliau mahu meneruskan amanatnya, Hadi harus mendengar pandangan daripada tokoh-tokoh agama lain yang akan turut serta. "Sehingga kini, belum ada lagi permohonan rasmi dari Hadi tetapi segala perancangan untuk menyediakan rancangan berbentuk forum tanpa kehadiran penonton studio itu sedang berjalan," katanya. Rais menjelaskan demikian ketika mengulas mengenai hasrat Hadi yang mahu muncul dalam kaca televisyen secara langsung selama sejam untuk menerangkan keadaan sebenar berhubung isu pepecahan umat Islam selepas mengeluarkan amanatnya yang mengkafirkan Umno pada 1981, di Kuala Terengganu. Dalam pada itu, Rais meminta parti-parti politik dalam negara ini supaya bersatu dalam konteks kemasyarakatan Malaysia. Malaysia harus dibantu tanpa mengira latar belakang politik, agama dan budaya supaya negara ini terus mendapat tempat tertinggi dalam aturan keduniaan dan antarabangsa, katanya. "Kita perlu bersatu dalam konteks di luar politik dan bukan hanya politik sahaja yang boleh satukan kita, tetapi perasaan kekitaan sebagai rakyat Malaysia," katanya. "Orang PKR (Parti Keadilan Rakyat) perlu jayakan anak mereka, orang Umno pun sama, kita tidak boleh terlalu banyak berlopak dalam politik sampai kita lupakan negara dan kewarganegaraan kita," katanya. Di PUTRAJAYA, Ketua Penerangan Umno Datuk Ahmad Maslan pula mengesyorkan supaya Hadi mengadakan sidang akhbar terbuka atau melalui web TV mengenai amanatnya tanpa perlu memberi penjelasan secara langsung di stesen televisyen tempatan. Menurut Ahmad tindakan Presiden PAS itu yang hanya mahu tampil di stesen televisyen tertentu seperti Radio Televisyen Malaysia (RTM) dan TV3, seolah-olah mempunyai agenda tersendiri. "Mungkin ada tujuan-tujuan tertentu. Tapi pada saya panggil sidang akhbar lagi ramai boleh datang. Ia boleh disiar secara langsung oleh segala web TV. Nak panggil stesen TV luar negara pun boleh," katanya pada sidang akhbar selepas merasmikan Kopitiam Killiney Putrajaya di sini, hari ini. Ahmad berkata pada sidang akhbar Sabtu lepas selepas sekian lama berdiam diri daripada menjawab isu berkenaan, Hadi tidak memaklumkan untuk menarik semula amanat itu, tetapi hanya ingin memberi penjelasan. "Mudah-mudahan dia akan tarik amanat itu. Tapi kelihatannya sukar. Saya kira kalau dia menarik balik amanat itu dan memohon maaf, dia berjiwa besar seperti Perdana Menteri (Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak) yang memohon maaf kepada seluruh rakyat Malaysia. "Walaupun tak nampak apa salah perdana menteri, tapi (memohon maaf) bagi pihak pemimpin yang tidak turun padang, yang tidak melaksanakan tugas dengan baik yang menyebabkan kekalahan pada pilihan raya umum 2008," kata Ahmad yang juga Timbalan Menteri di Jabatan Perdana Menteri. — Bernama

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The Malaysian Insider :: Opinion

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Warna-warni 2012 Posted: 30 Dec 2012 06:22 PM PST 31 DIS — Sepanjang tahun pelbagai perkara berlaku menyerikan lagi Malaysia sebagai sebuah negara yang terdiri daripada penduduk berbilang kaum dan agama. Ada perkara yang pertama kali berlaku dalam sejarah Malaysia seperti pendedahan bekas Ketua Polis Negara Tan Sri Musa Hassan tentang campurtangan politik dalam pasukan polis serta perkaitan diantara kongsi gelap dengan pemimpin tertinggi negara sehingga menyebabkan berlakunya peningkatan jenayah. Belum pernah lagi dalam sejarah Malaysia seorang bekas pemimpin tertinggi polis mendedahkan salahlaku dan kepincangan pasukan tersebut kepada umum tetapi ianya berlaku pada tahun 2012. Begitu juga dengan penyertaan bekas pemimpin nombor tiga pasukan polis, Datuk Fauzi Shaari kedalam parti Pakatan Rakyat (PR), PAS yang turut berlaku pada 2012. Ramai penganalisis politik gagal dalam tekaan mereka mengenai tarikh pilihan raya umum ke 13. Daripada awal tahun sehinggalah akhir tahun pelbagai teori digunapakai untuk menyakinkan orang ramai tentang ramalan tarikh pilihan raya mereka. Namun 2012 bukanlah waktu berlakunya pilihan raya umum yang dikatakan bakal paling sengit dalam sejarah Malaysia. Selain itu, bekas Menteri Penerangan Tan Sri Zainuddin Maidin dikritik hebat kerana menulis sebuah rencana yang dikatakan menghina bekas presiden Indonesia, BJ Habibie yang melawat tanah air baru-baru ini. Habibie dikritik kerana datang ke Malaysia diatas undangan Ketua Pembangkang Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. Walaupun tidak bersetuju dengan pandangan Zainuddin dalam tulisannya, penulis menjadi hairan mengapa ramai pihak yang selama ini memperjuangkan demokrasi dan kebebasan bersuara marah dengan tulis bekas Ketua Pengarang Utusan Malaysia itu? Prinsip demokrasi dan kebebasan bersuara menghalalkan sesiapa sahaja untuk memberikan pandangan serta pihak lain juga boleh memberikan pandangan balas. Belajar dari cara Habibie berhadapan dengan kritikan Zainuddin, tenang dan bersahaja memperlihatkan dirinya sebagai tokoh demokrat sejati. Masalah pembantu rumah asing dari Indonesia menganggu ramai rakyat Malaysia yang bergantung dengannya terutamanya bagi yang tinggal di kota. Hakikat harus diterima pembantu rumah dari Indonesia tidak lagi menjadikan Malaysia sebagai destinasi utama kerana negara-negara seperti Hong Kong, Taiwan dan Timur Tengah menjanjikan gaji dan upah lebih besar berbanding Malaysia. Sudah sampai masanya rakyat Malaysia memikirkan cara-cara lain untuk mengurus rumah tangga daripada terus bergantung dengan orang asing. Pujian harus diberikan kepada kerajaan Malaysia kerana kejayaannya menjadi orang tengah dalam rundingan damai diantara pemerintah Filipina dan Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). Walaupun terdapat pertikaian panjang diantara Malaysia dan Filipina mengenai Sabah, ianya dapat diketepikan bagi membantu keamanan di negara jiran dapat diwujudkan selepas tiga tahun Kuala Lumpur menjadi tuan rumah kepada rundingan damai tersebut. 2012 juga menyaksikan heboh mengenai tarikh tamatnya dunia sepertimana diramalkan oleh kalender bangsa Maya pada 21 Disember. Namun, selepas tarikh tersebut ternyata dunia masih lagi ada dan hidup kita masih seperti sedia kala dan kita tetap perlu bekerja demi untuk membayar hutang, realiti yang tidak dapat dielakkan. Diharapkan 2013 menjadi lebih baik buat kita semua. Sudah pasti ianya bermula dengan rancak memandangkan pilihan raya akan diadakan pada tahun ini selepas mandat kerajaan hari ini tamat pada akhir bulan April. Selepas mandat berakhir, masih ada dua bulan sebelum pilihan raya perlu diadakan. Diharapkan selepas keputusan pilihan raya umum ke 13 diumumkan, parti yang memerintah dan pembangkang dapat bekerjasama membangunkan negara. Anggaplah penggal ini sebagai satu pembelajaran yang baik untuk negara dalam berhadapan dengan demokrasi lebih luas. Semoga 2013 menjadi tahun bermulanya politik lebih matang bagi Malaysia serta hubungan atara kaum yang lebih harmoni. Mari raikan perbezaan ini, jangan jadikan ianya satu alasan untuk kita hidup secara terpisah-pisah semata-mata hanya kerana perbezaan warna kulit dan kepercayaan. * Ini adalah pandangan peribadi penulis.

Are you afraid of something silly? Posted: 30 Dec 2012 04:48 PM PST DEC 31 — We all have our fears. We have things we are uncomfortable with, so much so that we go out of our way to avoid them in our daily lives. Most of the time these fears are legitimate and understandable — while I'm not afraid of flying (aviophobia), I can understand why some are. But sometimes the fears that haunt us don't make sense to anyone else, indeed maybe not even to ourselves.  Initially we may have thought them silly too but over time they fester and we begin to rationalise. We over-think. And eventually they grip us through twisted logic warped by introspective rationalisation by our subconscious minds, which is why some people are afraid of words (logophobia) or writing (graphophobia), or beards (pogonophobia) or even of sitting down (kathisophobia). As for myself, I don't have any phobias that I'm aware of but I did have one silly fear that caused me not to read much. For someone who writes for a living, my reading rate was pathetic. For the past three to four years, I have not read as much as I should or want to. Ever since I started writing for a living, every time someone asks me to list my hobbies I've always put down "reading" first, but the truth is that it's been many years since I averaged more than one novel every few months. It's not that I don't like reading; I do. I even have vague memories of asking my mother to read aloud to me before I could read. When I was eight, my father registered the whole family as members of a local library, which still used the old school card system with two pockets per member then.  For many years I'd take the bus on my own to borrow books using my own pockets as well as my parents', amounting to six books every time, and when they upgraded the system to allow more books per member (as well as using a computerised system to replace the card-and-pocket method) I could borrow up to a dozen at once. It's not that I have very insanely specific reading tastes that exclude 99 per cent of the books available on the market either. I progressed from kiddie fairy tales to Sweet Valley High books to R.L. Stine and Christopher Pike novels and later to the bigger and thicker books by the likes of Terry Brooks and Tom Clancy and James Clavell ("real" novels as I thought of them then).  Despite religiously reading a number of Japanese manga series as a teenager, I still enjoyed reading "real" books during that period of my life —  I even picked up William Shirer's "The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich" once (admittedly driven to it by procrastinating on SPM preparations) and finished it (also driven to the last page by SPM procrastination). I've been an avid reader since childhood so how did I fall out of the habit in recent years? It's a silly thing, really. If you enjoy reading, you would know the exhilaration when the plot picks up speed and grips you tight, when you find yourself turning the pages with a deepened interest coated with burning curiosity.  You want — need, rather — to know what's next, if the hero lives or dies and how that happens, and why and when and where. The author worked his magic and now you're in the book. You can't put it down. But you have to, because some books are that big. Some books just can't be finished in one sitting, because you have other things that also demand your attention.  Work calls, house chores need doing, and you need to get food into your body... So you stop reading, usually when it gets exciting, and now you have to wait before you can get back to it. That waiting kept me off reading. Burning curiosity can be painful to bear, and sometimes I cannot function when I stop reading. I stopped reading because I didn't want to deal with the waiting between reading sessions, waiting before I could get back to the book and the story and the revelation of what's on the next page. I avoided that torturous aspect of the whole reading process by not going into the process at all. Because I feared the painful waiting before I can satisfy my curiosity, I convinced myself not to let my curiosity be piqued at all. As silly as it sounds, the fact is it stopped me from picking up many books for many years. My fear of that in-between period became real to me, real and logical. We are the best salesperson to sell anything to ourselves, because we know ourselves better than anyone else, and with enough thinking we can sell even bovine waste to ourselves. We rationalise. And by rationalisation we bring ourselves to believe silly things and give in to our silly fears. Then a few months ago I picked up a 700-page thriller on the cheap while passing by KL Sentral. I finally started reading it on my flight back home for Raya, and in my relaxed, holiday mood I finished reading it.  The sense of relief that comes with turning the last page is indescribable, especially sweet and fulfilling after a long time forgoing it — like rain after drought. And I thought, silly me, it was like I gave up chocolate cake forever because I didn't want to pay the taxi fare to take me to the bakery. That was my wake-up call from a silly dream where I was actually afraid of picking up a good book that I might enjoy reading, and I'm thankful for it. Since then I have started reading again. My latest book took me a week to get to the last, 1,074th page, but I got there last weekend.  I'm cured of my silly fear, hopefully. So what's your silly fear, and are you getting over it soon? * This is the personal opinion of the columnist.

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