Dear Mr Millott, thank you for generously giving the Ministry of Science and Silly the kind benefit of your doubt in your letter M'sian experiments in space are serious science . But sometimes 'teh tarik' is just 'teh tarik', and 'gasing' and 'batu lima' are exactly what they are claimed to be. Just like a 'keris' is an offensive weapon and not a crooked toothpick.

We who live in this country have already grown acclimatised to our Malaysia Boleh landscape. A good start for you to get to know Malaysia better is to read a most informed article by Michael Backman. It'll help you acquire a clearer understanding of why the astro-nut programme is providing tax-paying Malaysians this year's best gallows humour.

You say that the Press is misrepresenting the experiments and making foreigners think Malaysians are stupid. You also imply that Malaysian journalists are stupid as they would not be able to understand the scientific principles behind the tasks and thus have to be spoon-fed 'teh tarik' and spinning top analogies as if they were primary school children.

The truth is that the journos are smarter than they are often given credit for. They're smart enough to window-dress stupid statements by our top echelon politicians who are the ones that make the international community think Malaysians are stupid.

As early as two-and-a half years ago, some prescient Malaysians had already anticipated this divine comedy of the Malaysian astronut. Please read Ground-level realities at planetarium , a letter I'm too familiar with as I was the other half mentioned by the writer Alfean Abu Bakar.

Alfean wrote back then: 'I also have a little piece of constructive advice for Science, Technology and Innovations Minister Jamaluddin Jarjis. I hear that your ministry has been allocated a sum to send a Cronesia Boleh space tourist ... err ... astronaut, to the black beyond. I strongly believe that this money would be better spent on the ground.

'I also recommend that you donate a big slice of your ministry's budget to improve the understanding of science in our national schools because, if these chest-thumping and ignorant youngsters represent our country's future, it will not only be the non-bumis who will be immigrating in droves to faraway lands'.

Maybe the exodus will be intensifying now while the select towering Bolehlanders fiddle with pies in the sky.