Learn Foochow Case Study 1 - " me lo di " = " buy bread"

When I was about 5-6 years old, I recall one night my mum and my sister going out to some event.
And they kept saying something like "Mari me lo di" or "Mary me lo di"
I was really confused, cos it either meant "Come buy bread" or "Mary buy bread"
(Mari= "come" in Malay)
What's the big deal about buying bread?
And who is Mary?

I didn't actually work it out until many years later..
Like .. many many years later..
Like the sun rising from the east,

It dawned on me...
It was some kinda piano event called "Merry Melodies"... at least, I think it is..
True story!
That's all folks!

Space Marines VS Diabetes Centres

The Mothership Titanis hovered over Earth's southern hemisphere.
Captain Astates looked over the planet.
The planet resembled his home, Planet Terra.
Multiple screens flashed continuous pieces of data which his battle-weary brain analysed
His fleet had been sent to scour the universe for humanoids to join the Imperium of Man in its fight for survival.
The Imperium of man is faced with a never before seen level of threat from multiple fronts, the Tyrannids, the heretic Chaos army and the Necrons. Their fragile alliance with the Eldar may not even last.

This sector of the universe has been largely unaffected by the ongoing intergalactic war.
It seems the human colony here is oblivious that a universal battle has been ongoing for millennia.
In this corner of the universe, this small planet holds 7 billion humanoids, with a calculated 1.2 billion potentially battle worthy men and women.

The scanner scours an island in the southern hemisphere
a building called "Diabetes Centre" piqued the tired captain's attention.

"Librarian! Come here! "
And get the Apothecarist Diabetes Mellitus here!

"Librarian! Apothecarist! What is this.........Diabetes Centre?"

"Hmm.. this is an ancient disease that became extinct during the Tyrannid Wars
I can't believe it still exists in this millennium," said the Librarian

"Apothecarist Mellitus! What do you know about your name sake?"


Apothecarist Diabetes Mellitus was named after an ancient extinct disease

"Captain! Diabetes mellitus is an ancient disease of weakness. Either weakness of the genes or pure physical weakness. In those days people gorged themselves with nourishment until their pancreas' glucose regulation decompensated, culminating in hyperglycaemia and multiple complications of haemoglycation. This resulted in physical impairment and a shortened life span."

"Sir ! They treat and care for patient with diabetes and extend their life expectation," the first officer reported.

The captain's face was filled with disgust.
"You mean they  intentionally perpetuate this weakness in their gene pool?"

"Sir, this is not the only Diabetes Center on this planet!
The data suggest that diabetes mellitus is an epidemic on this planet.
The prevalence is increased by new incidence and and reduced mortality due to these so called Diabetes Centres."











The Tyrannid Wars caused a major shift in the Imperium of Man's gene pool by weeding out the weak.

The Librarian looked up from his books.

"This disease had been wiped out in all known Imperium of Man civilisations in the last millennium.
Multiple wars caused the purging of many diseases as natural selection took place. The weak and infirm were always the first casualties of war. Throughout the centuries, through natural selection, genes prone to illness were slowly weeded out."
In some cases when whole planets succumbed to Tyrannid infestations, they had to be purged (targeted for planetary destruction) and only the physically strong were evacuated.
Legend had it that the Tyrannids had a predilection to feasting on diabetes sufferers due their more palatable constitution."


Tyrannids, also known as the Great Devourer, most from galaxy to galaxy, devouring entire civilisations..

The idea of propagation physical weakness is too vile for Captain to handle.
"I shall purge this place and its weakness propagating activities right now! And the whole planet with it!
First Officer Tarus! Start the Exterminatus protocol! Set orbital bombardment protocols to planetary purge!"

"No sir! Such decisions should not be made with such haste!" Apothecarist Mellitus interjected.

"Tell me why I shouldn't purge this weakness from man's existence? This planet disgusts me! Why.. the thought of our warship being in this proximity fills my heart with dishonour"

"Although they propagate weakness, they have may have some potential.
 Though their military is far inferior to us, they are actually not dissimilar to the Imperial Guard."

Captain Astartes snickered.



Though they make-up the bulk of the Imperium of Man's army, the Imperial Guards are frequently looked down on by their Space Marines brethen due to their perceived inferior fighting capabilities.

 "Infact, though they have no spaceworthy military craft, they do nuclear weapons.
"Our simulations suggest if they did face a Tyrannid attack, there would be a 99% probability that nuclear weapons would be activated resulting in a nuclear meltdown or total planetary disintegration, thus eliminating the danger of the planet becoming a Tyrannid feeding nest."

"Hmm.. I suspect you are being partial to these weaklings because of your name?"

"No Sir! We apothecaries are named after vile disease to remind ourselves of our daily fight against weakness, whether of the mind or of the body."

"Very well.... let us leave this system and get this planet out of my sight before I change my mind!"

What is your ranking in Malaysia?

During my recent travels, it was again reinforced to me that the world ranks people to different classes/rights. When I was in the airport, people in first and business class boarded first, got served better and had their own "lounges" which were off limits to "cattle class " people like myself. Then I went to Marina Bay Sands mall in Singapore. I realised a single item in many of the shops there would have finished up the entire allocated budget I had for the trip. Often the shop was open but the doors were closed, I felt it was a unspoken sign to keep out people of a "lower" class. In these scenarios, people were classed based on how much money they owned or were willing to spend. In Malaysia, we often use the term "second class citizen" to describe a class of people with less rights according to the law than others. We are talking about discrimination written into law, not discrimination by the population. In fact this phenomenon is not isolated to Malaysia, many countries follow this kind of discriminatory practices. Fijian Indians mention that they are "second class citizens" as well. As the Malaysian election looms, I just thought I'd make a list of different ranks of rights/benefits of people in Malaysia. This is just my opinion to be taken as is. You may be free to disagree. Feel free to comment. Please note I am not a hater nor do I condone hate between people. I think it is the most foolish sentiment of all. In the end, God is the only true judge of us.



What is your rank in Malaysia?

1. UMNO members
2. UMNO cronies
3. Other BN members
4 . BN cronies
5.  Malays ( Bumiputras - think they are 1st class but actually number 5)
6. Non-malays who are muslims ( pseudo Bumiputras )
7. Non Malay indigenous people ( actual Bumiputras but second class Bumi rights)
8. Malaysian Chinese/Indian    ( think they are second class but actually number 8)
9 Dan lain-lain ( and others)

I have a dream.... a dream to be number 2 again.
Let us reclaim what it should be..

1. Malays and other indigenous ( Bumiputra)
2. Dan lain lain -  ( me)

Are you ready for CHANGE?

Finally, I wish you to ponder this famous quote below

First they came for the communists,
and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a communist.

Then they came for the socialists,
and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a socialist.

Then they came for the trade unionists,
and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a trade unionist.

Then they came for the Jews,
and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a Jew.

Then they came for the Catholics,
and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a Catholic.

Then they came for me,
and there was no one left to speak for me.

Martin Niemoller (1892-1984)

What you can learn about your friends from playing Dota

People say you can know a person's true character by their driving.
I say, you can REALLY know a person's character by the way they play DOTA.
You will never really know a person's true trait until you face adversity, but do you really want to wait for adversity to know if you can rely on your friends?
You don't have to..
Just play Dota.
Then you will find out which of your friends you would want with you during a Zombie Apocolpyse



Do you know which friend you can count on during a Zombie Apocalypse? 

I'll just list a few typical traits you can pick up about a person from playing Dota
This traits are not mutually exclusive so one person may have more than one trait

For the uninitiated, here is the link to Dota2 website.

Okay.. lets's start..



The Altruist

This is a true friend, he will never leave you behind no matter what. Even if the situation is hopeless and you are outnumbered he would return from a position of safety to try to rescue you.
A true friend you would want on your side in an apocalyptic situation.
In Dota, being over altruistic is sometimes detrimental to your overall team progress but it's always good to know that someone has your back.



The Farmer

Money and gear is the main objective of this person.
His primary goal is to get as much money as he can to buy the super duper items so he can own everyone late game. Often this is done at the expense of the overall benefit of the team
Unlike the altruist, given the choice of facing danger to rescue a friend and farming non-hostile creeps, the choice is easy for this one.
Though a farmer often lacks teamwork, a well levelled and equiped player on your team is still beneficial late game.



The Grunt

The grunt has a very straight forward modus operandi, he fights.
I suppose the grunt is the core for the fighting force.
Courage is his forte. Generally compliant in teamwork.
Good to have on your team



The General

This is a person you want on your team in a fight.
The general has the ability to assess the situation and come up with the best strategy in any given scenario.
Usually the general has very good map awareness and continually assesses the situation and changes tactics to cope. A good general will lead the team to victory, unless he faces a better opponent general that is..
In gaming terms, the general excels at the macro as well as the micro.




The Pro

You can think of the pro like a "hero" or a special forces" agent. Think about "Ripley" in Aliens.
The pro is known for his/her superb fighting skills and ability to adapt in the heat of the moment.
Combining a Pro trait with the Altruist trait is awesome but combining a Pro with a General trait  is the best.




The Self Preserver.

You will see this in many movies, Mr Smith in "Lost in Space". The hunchback in "300".
The primary goal of the self preserver is to preserve himself.
He won't be the one to take one for the team. All he cares about is his own progress.
Sometimes you wonder if he is even your team as he treats his teammates as competitors as well
The Self preserver trait often co-exist with The Farmer as if they are genes on the same chromosome.




The Newbie

The newbie is not so much of a trait as a stage in life. At the newbie stage you can tell much about a person,  how fast they learn, teamwork, the abilities to handle criticism, how they deal with defeat.
The newbie graduates to one of the above type of players.
Newbies that don't graduate to seasoned players end up in a purgatory state called  "Noob".

So... ready for some Dota?