Malaysia Polling Day - GE13

Today is the day! Malaysians go to the polls today, May 5. Will we have a new government for the next five years or will the government that has been governing Malaysia the past 55 years continue its 'reign' at Putrajaya..

Candidates are vying for 222 parliamentary seats and 505 state seats which means some polling centres will have two ballot boxes.

Voters are encouraged to bring their umbrellas as the Malaysian Meteorological Department has forecast thunderstorms and rain in 109 of the 222 parliamentary constituencies Sunday afternoon.

Related articles:
- Public holiday in certain states
- Helpful information - Casting Your Vote on Polling Day - May 5
- Yep, even the Mangoes..
- Mari Mari Mengundi - a new twist to an old familiar tune


Image sources:
- Google
- The Star

Public holiday in certain states

Monday has been declared as a public holiday for Selangor.

Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim said the decision was made for the convenience of voters, who would go to the polls tomorrow.

And in Penang, Caretaker Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said Monday would be a holiday for Penang.

Kedah declares May 5 a public holiday. Sunday is a workday in Kedah.

Kelantan has declared a "cuti peristiwa" (occasional holiday) for polling day on May 5, a Sunday, which is a working day in the state.

The Terengganu government has declared polling day on May 5 a public holiday, joining Kelantan and Kedah which had announced this earlier.


Happy casting your vote tomorrow!

Free Foreclosure listings

Looking for a foreclosure home in the U.S.?

Free Foreclosures is a site with up-to-date foreclosure listings of foreclosure homes and properties. This is a completely free foreclosure search site which lists all properties by area, by price, details of each property including number of bedrooms and bathrooms, as well as other additional information.

This free foreclosure website has an extensive listing of foreclosure homes and properties from Alaska to California on the east coast, from Maine to Florida on the west and all states in between and not forgetting Hawaii.  The site also provides a list of banks and financial institutions with Real Estate Owned Foreclosures. For a wider choice, you can also find a list of Top Foreclosure Auction websites here.

Whether it's Free REO foreclosures you are looking for or if you have a foreclosure listing you want listed, Free Foreclosures is the place. If you are a realtor, you can get listed here as their city foreclosure real estate expert for free.

Helpful information - Casting Your Vote on Polling Day - May 5

An Opposition rally at Gelang Patah, Johore, on Labour Day
The time is fast drawing near. In two more days, Malaysians will go to the polls.

May 5th is the day of reckoning as to whether Malaysia will see a new government (of the Opposition coalition - Pakatan Rakyat) or return the National Front coalition (Barisan Nasional) government for the next five years. Since the country's independence in 1957, Barisan Nasional has been the only government the people has known.

Will Malaysians see a change of power in this fiercely-fought general election touted as the mother of all elections?

If you are going to the polls this Sunday, the following information from an email might be helpful.

The writer says:

I have just completed my training to be a Polling Agent/Counting Agent/Barung Agent for this 13th GE to be held this coming 5th May 2013. I hope to be assigned to the Kota Kemuning voting centre but due to needs and other factors, I may be moved somewhere else. Personally, I am voting at Khee Beng school in Jln Bkt Kemuning and I suspect most of us who registered using our Permai address will be voting there. This can be checked on line at http://daftarj.spr.gov.my/semakpru13.aspx

I am writing this email becos of the many things you must be aware of before you go to the polling center. I 'll try my best to list them down here.

1. Be at the polling center real early, as I m suspecting that there may be a long queue due to the new polling process. Many will be sick of waiting and waste their vote. Don't be a fool to do that. Polling center opens at 8am till 5pm. If queue is long, hang in there, do not leave even after 5pm once you entered. Polling center gate closes at 5:00pm sharp RTM time. Polling continues till all in queue is done, regardless of time.

2. Check on-line first (http://daftarj.spr.gov.my/semakpru13.aspx) and print out your details before going to the voting center. You may be able to by-pass the Barung counter since you have a printout and know where to go and thus short cut your time.

3. Bring your IC, if you lost your IC, then use the temp IC. If you also lost your temp IC, then you can use your passport. Avoid using passport as we the counting agents will insist you fill up a Borang 11 which will take time, and affects the queue. This time EC allows even Gov't employee tag... hmmm... polling agent will seek verification if sees anyone using that.

4. Make sure your left hand index finger is clean, any makings or stains will caused you to be disallowed to vote. If you got band aid plaster on that finger, they will require you to use the right hand index instead. The default is left hand index finger. No stains allow on either fingers. The polling kerani will mark your left index finger with an ink.

5. Important! The ink will take about 30 second to dry. Bring along a tissue to dry off your finger before holding your ballot papers. Any smudge or stain on the ballot paper will render it spoiled vote. So be extremely careful. Now you understand why you need to be there early.

6. Your ballot paper will have a serial number, but must be clean of any extra marking or words or stains, smudge, pencil/pen marking or dots or TEAR on all the surface of the ballot papers. YOU CAN REJECT THE PIECE OF BALLOT PAPER AND INSIST ON A NEW ONE IF YOU SEE ANY OF THOSE. Do not be intimidated by anyone there as this is your ABSOLUTE RIGHT.

7. Ensure that the kerani that handed you the ballot paper, do not write the serial No. of your ballot papers next to your name on the list. He or she is suppose to just neatly cross out your name on the list. If you see that she wrote something, please raise hell. Make sure she crosses out your name on her list and we will do the same on ours.

8. If in some strange (may happen) event you were told that you have already voted, eventho you have not, and your fingers have no markings, you MUST raise hell. We the polling agents will raise hell too. It means that somebody has voted on your behalf. You will be required to fill forms and etc. Remember, your constitutional right to vote.

9. Do not wear any t-shirt or buttons or hat that is aligned to any of the political parties. You will be ask to remove or disallowed to enter the polling center.

10. When casting your vote, be careful not to make any other marks on the ballot paper. You will be using a pen instead of the usual pencil. So if you make a mistake and it is accidental, please request for a new ballot paper. They have 10% extra papers to cater for this sort of things.

11. Fold the ballot paper neatly in half checking to see that all is in order before proceeding to the ballot boxes. Here, we will have 2 ballot boxes for Parliament and State.

12. At the ballot boxes, SHOW and put the ballot paper into their corresponding box. Stand there to ensure that the kerani push your vote into the box. Please do not have any tissue or other paper in your hands as you may be stopped for search by the Polling agent. We are trained to look out for people who brings out their blank voting papers to sell. Don't do that, you 'll go to jail.

13. This time, we have 4 candidates for Parliament and 3 candidates for State. Please vote wisely and your vote is your right and it is nobody's bizzness on who you vote for it is PnC.

14. I am not aware of any special lane for the disabled or elderly.

15. Please send the words out to all your foreign friends or employees to avoid being seen near or around all polling centers. They may put themselves in harms way. This is actually a warning to all of them that I got in the internet. Especially those who somehow got blue IC.

Please do read again what I have written and feel free to forward to all your friends, make sure that everyone goes to vote. Every vote counts. This election is most crucial and super dirty.

Thank you.



Happy voting!

Friday Frolics - What's Your Motivational Phrase?

Some of us have some motto or phrase that keeps us going or motivated or guide us through life. This week's quiz tells me mine is Don't Worry, Be Happy. Interesting!

What's yours? Take the quiz to find out..

Happy Friday!

You Are "Don't Worry Be Happy"

You're very unique, but you meld well with a group. You are easy to get along with. You are a positive thinker and a true optimist. You believe in filling your life with good things. You do your own thing, but you're always thinking of the community around you. You like to let loose every once and a while. You don't take yourself too seriously.

What's Your Motivational Phrase?

Friday Frolics: Cheaper Than a Therapist

Last Week's Quiz: How Does Your Cookie Crumble?

Get Tulips for Mother's Day - KLM Charity Tulip Sale

Like last year and the years before, the KLM Annual Charity Tulip Sale will be back again for Mother's Day this year.

Be at Sungei Wang Plaza concourse on Saturday, May 11 from 11am onwards for a chance to buy a lovely bouquet (tulips air-flown by KLM all the way from the Netherlands) for your mother, your loved ones or for yourself.  All for a good cause.

Priced from RM5 each, there will be 3,777 stalks for sale.   Purchase 150 stalks of tulips and get a FREE bottle of Lanvin Eclat D’Arpege EDP worth RM205!


Source

The Banglas have arrived..

An email came in with these pictures - droves of foreigners (from Bangladesh, presumably) were spotted arriving at KLIA. Nice white tees and so lucky, ready buses waiting..

Are they here to fill jobs in the palm oil industry, do you think?

Image source unknown

Happy Labour Day and Happy Birthday!

Labour Day is celebrated on May 1 this part of the world. Today is Labour Day which is a national public holiday. Banks, government departments, offices are closed for business. Google Malaysia commemorates this day with a Google doodle as in the doodle below.y

Happy holiday!

Would you believe it, I know four people (all female) whose birthday falls on May 1? Yep, four of them! Let's put it this way.. you could go shopping for presents one shot.

Happy birthday, best wishes for health and happiness, my dear friends.. and a song for you, First of May by BeeGees.