air.net

2011-08-20T19:28:00.000-07:00

Breakfast at Rumah Sinar Salam.

Members of RC Kampung Baharu hosted breakfast session with the occupants of Rumah Sinar Salam, a shelter home for problematic women, located at no.6A, Tingkat 1, Lorong Haji Taib 3, 50350, KL. Goods and ang pow was distributed to the 30 odd occupants. The founder Pn. Arfidah, SALAM volunteer was at hand to receive us. Pn. Arfidah ctc 017-3631620 if you like to render any assistance.

Simple food which cost a fraction of Normal Ramadhan buffet at five star hotel but for these simple folk it is a memorable evening.

2011-07-07T06:31:00.000-07:00

Menghadiri majlis perkahwinan anak perempuam P.Yogarajan.

Bergambar didepan Dewan Abdul rahman Talib.

Mengimbasi kembali peristiwa di Sungai Bernam.

Menekmati teh tarik di Restoran Ghani.

Melawat Tanjung Malim membawa kenangan nostalgia.

Apabila menerima jemputan dari kawan saya, P.Yogarajan untuk menghadiri majlis makan malam meraikan perkahwinan anak perempuan beliau di Tanjung Malim pada hari Sabtu, 2hb. Julai 2011, saya dan kawan seangkatan tidak melepaskan peluang untuk melawat bandar Tanjung Malim dan bekas tapak Sekolah Dato' Abdul Razak. Lawatan ringkas tersebut membuat saya teringat kembali peristiwa yang saya alami di SDAR dari tahun 1966 hingga 1971.

(1) Semasa saya mendapat surat tawaran untuk meneruskan pelajaran di Sekolah Dato' Abdul Razak pada tahun 1966 saya tidak tahu tentang kewujudan SDAR. Walau pun saya dari Kuala Kangsar,Perak, saya lebih mengenali MCKK atau STAR. Guru sekolah saya pun tidak pernah menceritakan tentang SDAR. Ini membuktikan SDAR baru wujud waktu itu. SDAR belum mencipta nama dan tidak mempunyai tradisi atau trak rekod yang boleh diketengahkan. SDAR baru berusia 10 tahun, kalau manusia, maseh budak berhingus yang belum baliq. SBP atau sekolah lain telah wujud berdekat lamanya, contoh Clfford School Kuala Kangsar - 1897 dan MCKK -1903. Pelajar SDAR pada waktu itu jika dapat meneruskan pengajian ke tingkatan enam, kena berhijrah ke STAR, MCKK atau sekolah lain. Jadi SDAR wujud seolah olah untuk membekalkan pelajar tingkatan enam kepada sekolah lain.

(2) SDAR di Tanjung Malim hanya menumpang dikawasan Maktab Perguruan Sultan Idris (MPSI), kini telah dinaiktarafkan sebagai Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris, (UPSI). Pembangunan hampir tiada. Pada ingatan saya dari 1966 hingga 1971, hanya satu sahaja bangunan baru yang dibangunkan, ia itu blok tingkatan enam pada tahun 1970. Apabila bilangan murid meningkat terpaksalah bilek asrama dijadikan kanteen dan bilek makan. Bilek rehat pula dijadikan asrama. Batch 66-73 dibesarkan didalam keadaan serba berkurangan dibandingkan dengan SBP lain. Budget hanya rm18.00 sebulan atau 60sen sehari (kos makan sahaja). Pusat sumbernya dipenohi dengan rak rak kosong atau buku yang kulitnya hampir berkecai.

Kelebihan yang ada pada SDAR pada waktu itu ialah kerana namanya. Arwah Tun Abdul Razak pada waktu itu adalah sebagai Timbalan Perdana Menteri. SBP lain hanya dinamakan dengan nama pemimpin yang telah pergi meninggalkan kita. Malangnya Arwah TAR pada waktu itu tanpa pengetahuan umum sedang berjuang dengan cancer dan juga menguruskan negara selepas berlaku pergolakan kaum.

(3) Walau pun didalam keadaan serba kekurangan, SDAR terus membangun, membina nama dan tradisinya sendiri. Penghijrahan beramairamai pelajarnya ke TI atau RMC pada tahun 1970 adalah satu penomena yang tidak dapat dielakan kerana memang tiada halangan dari pehak kerajaan pada waktu itu. Malahan digalakan untuk memenohi TI dan RMC dengan pelajar pelajar pandai yang telah masak dengan kehidupan berasrama. Maka bolehlah mereka bertahan dialam baru mereka yang juga mencabar. Dengan berkat usaha gigih guru guru dan pengetua SDAR, pada tahun 1971 barulah SDAR keluar dari kepompongnya dengan menjuarai Mori Cup. Dengan berbekalkan image baru ini sebagai conqueror SDAR berhijrak Ke Seremban. Kalau Julius Ceasar berkata," I came I saw I conquer", maka diTanjung Malim pelajar SDAR hanya nampak miss spring, budak hitam, panggung REX, panggung Majestic, restoran Ghani dan restoran Razak. maka itulah yang mereka conquer.

(4) Dengan image conqueror inilah apabila pelajar SDAR sampai ke Seremban mereka nampak Sekolah Tengku Durah, TKC dan KGV sebagai satu cabaran baru yang mesti ditakloki. SDAR membelasah Sekolah Yuk Min 30-0 (satu rekod) didalam acara bolasepak. SDAR juga membelasah Sekolah Dato' Abdul Samad 124-0 dalam acara Rugby. SDAR memulakan tradisinya sendiri. Ada pelajarnya yang sudah jadi pak menteri. Saya turut bergembira apabila murid murid sekolah bertanya, "Pak Cik dulu sekolah kat mana?" Bila saya sebut SDAR mereka semua tahu, dan berkata "Oh Sekolah yang Top tu".

Baru ini saya sempat berborak dengan Pengetua SDAR. Beliau berkata bila dah jadi sekolah yang Top ini, makinlah mencabar nak jaga kedudukan dan nama baik SDAR. Diharap SDAR akan terus mengejar kejayaan.

(Saya tidak ikut ke Seremban kerana telah melanjutkan pelajaran keluar negara pada tahun 1972.)

2011-06-12T17:56:00.000-07:00

Idling boats.

Diesel subsidy.

Malaysian fishermen (or rather the boat owners) have been enjoying diesel subsidy over the years. Recent reduction of the subsidy make them stay away from the sea. I was at Tanjung Api, in Kuantan during recent school holidays and saw too many fishing boats idling away at the jetty.

Some of the trawlers operator had been leasing their licence to foreigners (Viet and Thai) to fish in Malaysian water which worsen the situation.

If the subsidy was given to them in order assist the poor fisherman to make a decent living why should it be removed now. Is it because they have become too wealthy and do not require these subsidy anymore? The fish price is already high as it is and I hope this is not another excuse to escalate it to higher level.

Despite the current issue I still enjoy breakfast of 'nasi dagang' at Tanjung Api fisherman jetty.

2011-06-09T17:48:00.000-07:00

MODERN IRON MINING.
Metal prices are high now days and it is appreciating all the time. Many banks provide an option for their clients to keep precious metal (gold/platinum) rather than FD or unit trust. The situation has created a new breed of modern iron miners. With out any mining experience they are producing tons of metal albeit illegally. Drain covers, fences and railways track have been carted by these unscrupulous modern thief. Latest victim is our nation heritage in Malacca. Vintage cannon on top St John's Hill in Bandar Hilir had disappear overnight. Looked like 'besi burok' business is thriving.

2011-05-24T07:58:00.000-07:00

Writer in the family.
While I am busy blogging and facebooking (as a hobby) my daughter Amelia is earning a living as a writer for LIVE in and Astelier magazines. She wanted to use her full name but the chief editor said it was too long to include the father's name. Oh! it really does not matter to me dear. when you become the chief editor you can do it your way. In the mean time just ensure quality writing in your work.

2011-05-14T20:36:00.000-07:00

I am that close......
All my preparation to attend Rotary International Annual Convention at New Orleans went with out a hitch. Conference registration, air tickets, hotel booking, passport and so on. I am just waiting for my US visa to be approved. I intend to travel on the 18th. May 2011 via Los Angeles. By Monday if I still do not have any news on my US Visa, I might have to cancel all the arrangement starting with the hotel reservation. I am keeping my finger crossed and pray for the best.

Monday came and went still no sign of the US Visa so I had no choice but to cancel all the arrangements. I probably will make an attempt to attend next Rotary Convention to be held in Bangkok, Thailand. :-(

2011-05-05T18:15:00.000-07:00

VISION 2020 - Why we are not getting there(1).

TDM gave Malaysia vision 2020 but are we getting there? I am not going to say much but the above photos tell us that that with nine years to go we are still struggling with the basic issues like street cleanliness, corruption and people attitude.

2011-03-15T20:17:00.000-07:00

Tsunami hit Japan March 2011.
This all weather combat fighter aircraft probably costing few hundred millions US was no match for the fury of tsunami that strike Japan last week end. Despite having very sophisticated detection system or early warning devices against earth quake the relevant authority was not alerted in time to take the necessary action to save the aircraft.
My sympathy went to those people who lost their family members during the disaster. May GOD bless their soul.

2011-02-01T18:53:00.000-08:00

Public amenities being vandalised.

VANDALISM.
It is disgusting to see public amenities being vandalised by unscrupulous and ungrateful individuals. Urinal at the top was was installed with special deodoriser, complete with the automatic timing release and must be at great expense too. See what has become of it after a short time at the hand of the public. I just hope in the process of turning Malaysia into high income country this aspect of public civic mindedness not being neglected.
The other day I forgot to bring hand phone. Since I had to make an urgent call I had to reach one of those coin operated public phone. To my disappointment I had to visit several public phone before I can find a serviceable one. Just imagine if somebody had to call an ambulance or fire brigade. Life could be lost due to Malaysians being indifferent to small thing like this.
So what can we do to improve the situation. We can instill the awareness of respecting public amenities to people around us starting with our family members and relatives.

2011-01-30T08:57:00.000-08:00

TENANG BY ELECTION.
As expected Barisan national retained the seat with bigger majority. It was heartening to see voters turn out to vote in heavy downpour. Both candidates were ex-government servant. My sympathy went to the loser who also in this case have to find a new job.

BADMINTON - KOREAN OPEN.
Lee Chong Wee lost to Lin Dan. It is rather unexpected as the world number one was in top form recently after winning The Taiwan and Malaysian open.

2011-01-30T03:22:00.000-08:00

Front view.

Side view.

MINI LINK HOUSE (TOWN HOUSE)
Keeping money in the bank is no longer a wise thing to do since its purchasing power is diminishing by the day. I wonder what happened to the old advise to save and save for the future. At one time ( I am talking in the 60s) school children were encouraged to save by buying 10 sen stamps and pasting them on a card. Once the card was full it can be deposited in the Post Office saving account. It may took a month for a child to save 3 ringgit. It was a big amount those days.
I was looking for properties to invest as an alternative to keeping money in the fixed deposit. I came across this town house in Bandar Tasek Puteri, Rawang. At a glance it looked like link house but on closer examination will reveal that it is actually two units of town house. One on top of the other but with separate entrance. So if you purchase two units, you can actually combined them into a normal link house.
What an innovative way. It is a good alternative to living in an apartment house.

2010-12-18T20:06:00.000-08:00

SPM and PMR
SPM is almost over and PMR result is about to be released. Here is a definition of examination by Sir Walter Alexander Raleigh, an English academician. In an examination those who do not wish to know ask questions of those who can not tell.

2010-12-07T18:58:00.000-08:00

I was still in a daze when this photo was taken.

My head was bandaged to minimise swelling.

My first operation.
My barber had been reminding me, the lump behind my ear was getting bigger every time I went to have my monthly haircut. Very efficient of him to monitor such minor details. I guess must be quite difficult for him to manoeuvre the scissor around the lump or must be a special treatment since I had been his customer for the last 30 years.
Finally I went to see my doctor and he advised me to have it removed without delay. I had the surgery on Monday 6th.. December 2010. It took the surgeon almost one hour to finish the surgery and I was under full anaesthetic. Thank God almighty all went well and I am now resting at home on strict family order. ( nak pergi kedai kopi pun tak boleh lah)

2010-09-13T18:29:00.000-07:00

Jalan jalan berhari raya.
Mula tadi nak beri topik "Jalan Raya" kemudian baru ingat 'jalan raya' lain maknanya. Saya dan keluarga bertolak dari Subang Jaya menuju Kuantan pada petang Khamis 9 Sept. Jalan tidak sesak kerana warga kota telah meninggalkan Kuala Lumpur lebih awal, mungkin kerana destinasi mereka lebih jauh seperti Kota Baru. Kami berbuka puasa di Stesen Minyak petronas semasa didalam perjalanan. Ada teh tarik dan buah tamar disediakan oleh stesen minyak tersebut. Berduyun duyun lah hamba Allah yang beratur untuk mendapatkan juadah percuma tersebut. Sudah menjadi budaya Malaysia kalau percuma mestilah kena ambil. Saya sedang beratur hendak membeli sandwich di kaounter Dunkin Donut tiba tiba pekerja nya juga turut keluar untuk mendapatkan juadah percuma tersebut. Mereka meninggalkan pelanggan demi untuk mendapatkan barang percuma tersebut. Sesuatu yang pehak pengurusan Dunkin Donut mesti buat jika ia mahu meneruskan konsep pelanggan didahulukan. Hati kecil saya berkata ini adalah dugaan dibulan puasa dimana kita dikehendaki bersabar. Ini berlaku beberapa minit sebelum berbuka.. sungguh mencabar dugaan ini.
Saya melihat beberapa kemelangan didalam perjalanan. Alhamdulillah kami selamat sampai ke Kuantan sebelum 12 malam. Saya berhari raya di rumah kakak ipar yang juga ibu tunggal bersama anak lelakinya. Beliau nampak gembira dengan kehadiran kami kerana meramaikan dan memeriahkan suasana. Saya sempat juga menziarahi sanak saudara semasa disana. Saya pulang ke Kuala Lumpur pada 11 Sept kerana salah seorang dari anak saya sudah mula berkerja.

2010-08-18T15:00:00.000-07:00

Mohd Shah, Aina, Rohani, Fatin, Intan, Ame.

Salam AidilFitri, maaf zahir batin.

Moga Ramadan yang baru kita lalui membawa

berkat berkekalan dan kita sentiasa didalam

rahmat Ilahi dari saya sekeluarga.

2010-08-08T20:45:00.000-07:00

Kitchen deco.
Put these decorations on your kitchen wall and see your customers reactions.
I always prefer home cooking.

2010-07-29T12:11:00.000-07:00

Getting ready for Ramadan.
During my morning walk saw this road in SS18 being freshly painted in getting ready for the Pasar Ramadan. One month in a year this quiet stretch will become heaven for food lovers and of course nightmare for people who live in this neighbourhood. Since this is an annual affair I think the Majlis Perbandaran of Subang Jaya should come up with proper facility rather than make shift canopy and improper kitchen. Cleanliness and traffic control is a major issue with this ad hoc arrangement.

2010-07-10T18:27:00.000-07:00

Karnival Bacathon and Hostel Open Day.

The feeling was still strong after 39 years. SMS from brother Ramly Khairuddin and email at SDARA yahoo group was enough to motivate me to attend the function. Ramly, my former dorm mate Tanjung Malim days, was the the current YDP PIBG and the man behind organising the carnival.

There was a big crowd on that day rendering the the school compound the carnival atmosphere.

There were proud parents, siblings the public at large attending the function. Many SDARAs Alumni seen wearing their former school uniform with tie, school badge and rubber shoes (he he Nikey not Fung Kiong).

What a change. During my days we had only sport day and school open day to celebrate in each year. Most of our parent had not even set their foot at the school compound. We have very supportive parents now days who have the means too.

Congratulation to Ramly and Tuan Pengetua, Zakaria for organising the event first of its kind at SDAR.

(Note: SDARA Alumni contributed RM50K toward the school for the year 2010)

2010-05-18T08:41:00.000-07:00

WHERE IS CIVIC MINDEDNESS.
Some shoppers at TESCO Extra Shah Alam are taking advantage of close proximity of these parking lots to the hypermarket entrance to park their cars, despite clear signs indicating that these parking lots are meant for the handicap and shoppers with small children. They are either not educated or could not be bothered after all who is going to take action on them.
Sometimes I wonder if we are a caring nation?

2010-05-04T15:37:00.000-07:00

Police Brutality.
Much has been said of the incident involving 15 year old kid who was shoot dead by policeman recently. The family even called for a Royal commission to be set up. Well you can not bring the dead back but the family wanted justice. The wanted the victim to be cleared from being branded as criminal.
There was a similar case involving an Indian adult sometime back. He died in police custody after being detained by Police to assist in criminal investigation. The was so much hoo haa that the real issue why he was detained in the first place was swept under the carpet. I can not recalled how the issue ended.
Is the Police really brutal or they are just doing their job? One thing I am sure the gun they are wearing on their belt is not just for show.

2010-04-12T18:40:00.000-07:00

Democracy in Thailand..
Every country has its own brand of democracy. So is Thailand a country which had long history of military rule. As far as I know Thailand had never been colonised. When Japan wanted to invade British Malaya, Thailand allowed Japanese troops a free passage as long as they were not disturbed. Apart from that Tailand remained neutral during world war two.
For the last few months street of Bankok were full with red shirt protesters who demanded Thai Premier to resigned and conduct a fresh election as the previous one was tainted with corruption as alleged by them.
Thailand economy is taking a beating as a result of that.
The latest twist is that Thai Election Commission had ordered the ruling party to be dissolved for allegedly misusing campaign fund. Interesting to see if the government will heed such ruling. Well our own political scenario is very pale compared to Thailand.

Work from Home Programme.
Latest finding some working house wife are not keen to have their husband working at home. Working at home apparently do increase productivity especially if you have young maid at home. That's what make the wife worried.

2010-04-08T17:10:00.000-07:00

Fighting over a car.
A royal family is just like any other family and fighting over a car is nothing new. The only different is the car is a Bentley (same marque used by agent 007) valued at cool 1.6M. Daddy is still alive and children is already fighting for his asset not to mention the throne. A high profile case that appeared in STAR newspaper to day. Isn't it about time somebody come up with Royalty magazine like in Great Britain. I am sure there are lot to write about them giving their penchant for model and artist. At least such initiative would encourage reading habit among the Malays.

2010-04-08T05:11:00.000-07:00

Nice pattern

Close up

Wrong Signal.

I was attracted by this nice art work which is actually a food sample used by one of the food outlet at Ampang Park. When I get closer my appreciation turned 180 degrees. The food stuff was infested with bugs. I just wonder why the operator did not remove it. Probably it never affected his sale since Malaysian consumer never bothered of such thing.

2010-02-27T16:22:00.000-08:00

45000 Vacancies at 'Mamak and Indian Restaurant' in Malaysia.
Is this true? or just another gimmick for some cronies to import more foreign workers?
Well if the paper is just talking about 'mamak restaurant' what about other eating places which had sprouted like mushroom all over the country.
If at one time only in plantation sector such problem exist, has it migrated to other sectors. Again I wonder what is the purpose of creating ministries such as 'human resources' 'education' and 'higher education' if such problem is getting worse. Foreign workers are bringing new problems and here we are talking shortage of them (foreign workers).
It is very clear there is a mismatch between what kind of workers our country produced and the requirement. Our children had not been told that they might have to work in this sector upon finishing their tertiary education. They are not being trained or prepared for such career. In fact they are not encouraged to go for such job as it had no future. Many are just too shy to admit that they are working as a waiter. No wonder if you go to many restaurant such as those at Sunway Pyramid you are being greeted by foreign waiter.

2010-02-26T06:34:00.000-08:00

10 Richest Person in Malaysia.
There are 22 billionaires in Malaysia. Majority are non bumi. Now who says non bumi are not well treated in Malaysia. In fact non bumi stand a better chance of making it in this country. Just look at top 40 richest man in Malaysia you will see what I meant.
Sugar king Kuok lead the list with more than 42B followed by Astro king Ananda with more than 27B. There is only one bumi in the top 10 and he is Syed Mokhtar valued at more than 6B.
There is one common factor among them. They all are Tan Sri. So do you get a title when you become a billionaire or do you have to be a Tan Sri to become a billionare. Chicken and egg situation my friend but who cares if you have that much money. (from the STAR)

2010-02-07T08:37:00.001-08:00

Padi field.
I was standing beside 'Mahsuri Well' yesterday and looking at this padi field. The harvesting season was over and the field was left unproductive till the next planting season I suppose. I wonder why there is no irrigation system like other places in Malaysia like Tanjung Karang where they practice three replanting in a year. I could see many buffaloes wandering around the field having their feed uninterrupted. I think in other countries like Japan or Indonesia they would not let the land idle for long period like us. Are we making the best of our asset?

2010-01-31T16:08:00.000-08:00

Pic. courtesy of the STAR.
IMITATION GOODS ANYONE!

I have seen imitation goods from Thailand being traded freely at night market. It is quite common to find items like branded cosmetics, handbags or perfumes but a car. Oh yes a full size Porsche and Ferrari. Well ,there is a saying ' Imitation is the best form of flattery'. I wonder what the automobile maker think of it.

2010-01-31T01:51:00.001-08:00

Burning Money.
One of the papers today, stated that one out of three cigarettes consumed by Malaysian are actually on the market illegally. The syndicates make more than RM1 billion annually and that is tax free. Government loses more than RM1.5 billion annually. This is simply because lax of enforcement. Since the price of cigarettes had spiralled up it had become very lucrative to smuggle these items.
You can increase the price indefinitely like Singapore where a pack of 20 can be as high as RM23 equivalent or create more smoke free zone but it is not going to curb smoking among the population as long as it is available widely.
Some time back the Health Ministry spend millions in anti smoking campaign. There were bill board everywhere to increase public awareness on danger of smoking. Finally the Ministry had to concede defeat as the smokers number do not show any decrease.
Let’s ask ourselves why people smoke. As long as there can find pleasure in it they will continue the habit. There is no point in telling people smoking kill as there are many smokers who lived beyond 80s. Are we brave enough to ban smoking totally? I am just thinking outside the box for a second.

2010-01-21T08:41:00.000-08:00

My Hi Fi set.

One of my favourite singer.

This EP is more than 40 years old.

Back to the 70s.

I have a collection of more than 100 LPs which I accumulated during my younger days. All these years it was collecting dust in the store room. Recently I managed to play them after repairing the hi fi set. All those songs brought back sweet memories as I recall how each of those LPs were acquired, sometimes by sacrificing my pocket money over other luxuries. The Strollers has long disappeared from Malaysian scene but The Beatles is as popular as ever. The digital age had revolutionised the music industry but sweet memories still remained.

2010-01-18T16:14:00.000-08:00

DRAGON BOAT RACE TRAGEDY.
More facts surfaced after last weekend tragedy that claimed six young life. As usual the finger pointing started but no matter what being said you can not turn back the clock, you can not bring back the dead. My sympathy goes to the family members of the victims. The memories of the tragedy will be with them for ever. We have rules and guidelines in place but there is much lacking when it come to enforcement.
Any sport activity has its own risk including game such as badminton and ping pong which can be considered safe. What more of out door sport like dragon boat race which take place in an open sea. These sport men were doing routine training in preparation for a race that will only take place few months from now. I think the focus should be on the determination of these young men in taking their sport seriously rather than finger pointing exercise that our politician and administrator so fond of.

2010-01-12T15:57:00.000-08:00

Missing Indians in Malaysia, 39000 of them (In STAR today)

Are we worried? he he we are not even concerned. Why should we? There are providing cheap manpower to everyone. Next time when you go to a mamak stall, just look at waiter who served you. Ever wonder why they can hardly understand you?

A friend of mine told me this story. A mamak stall employed several newly arrived Indians from the continent. Since they can hardly communicate to his customer, he employed them in the kitchen until such time they can pick up basic language skill. One day he was short of workers so had to deploy them as waiter. He told the new waiter to reply "sudah habis" (mean it is finish) for any order that he could not understand. Of course he could not understand a lot of things except for few common dishes. A customer came and ordered something which the waiter could not understand, so came the reply "sudah habis". The customer was not satisfied as most of his regular menus was not available, decided to test the waiter by ordering "bulu ayam goreng" (fried chiken feathers). He founded the truth of the situation when he received the same reply "sudah habis".

Obviously issuing visas is not the answer here. What about enforcement?

2010-01-08T07:53:00.000-08:00

The walkaton team arriving at Subang Jaya.

Fellowship night.

Dance lady dance.

75th Rotary international district 3300 Conference.(8-10 Jan 2010)

This is an important annual affair for RID3300 where Rotarian from various states in the district (Negeri Sembilan to Perlis) meet. Rotarian from foreign countries also attended this function as guest. This year conference started with walkaton with theme 'End Polio walk'. Rotarian who took part walked from Kedah to the conference venue, Grand Dorsett Subang Hotel. That was a distance of more than 500 km. I manage to join the walkaton entourage as they entered Subang Jaya which by then had swelled to more than 100 walkers. The first event for the conference was Fellowship night which had theme called One Malaysia. It was funny to see baju Melayu being worn by Chinese or cheongsam being worn by Malay ladies. Rotarian spend relaxing time to renew acquaintance and make new friends. Of course good party time to those who still have energy left after a long day. It was even funnier to see pak lebai (Chinese in pak lebai costume) discoing late into the night. He he he.

2010-01-05T16:48:00.000-08:00

2010 - tahun yang mencabar.
Cabaran tahun baru bermula dengan kenaikan harga barang. Nampaknya rakyat jelata memanglah dicabar untuk mengurangkan makan gula, kurangkan merokok dan sebagainya. Adakah dengan menaikan harga gula, rakyat akan mengurangkan makan gula. Adakah teh tarik, abc, ais kerim dan gula gula akan menjadi lebih tawar apabila dikurangkan bahan gula didalamnya. Anda tentu tahu jawapannya. Sisuami akan melenting apabila minumannya tawar dari biasa. Pengguna akan merungut apabila apabila tehtariknya tawar dari biasa. Yang suka memakan abc juga mungkin akan menamakan minuman kegemarannya 'abt', air batu tolak, tolak apa? tolak gulalah.
Kenaikan harga barangan mungkin tidak dapat dibendung 100 peratus. Apabila harga bahan mentah naik, harga barangan akan naik. Apabila harga bahan mentah turun, harga barangan akan terus berada ditahap baru. Kononnya nak menghabiskan stok bahan mentah yang sudah dibeli dengan banyaknya. Mengapa sebab yang sama tidak digunakan bila harga bahan mentah naik. Turun pun susah, naik lagi susahlah. Inilah yang membuatkan kepala menjadi pusing apabila memikirkannya.
Rakyat idamkan harga barangan yang stabil. Turun naik ni membuatkan mereka susah nak mentadbirkan kewangan mereka. Samalah juga seperti kerajaan yang idamkan keadaan negeri yang aman dan stabil supaya senang nak buat kerja.
Jadi menstabilkan harga barangan adalah penting. Oleh kerana ia penting kerajaan sepatutnya menubuhkan satu kementrian khas untuk menananginya. Bukan kah sudah ada 'Kementrian Hal Ehwal Pengguna' untuk tujuan itu. Memang betul tetapi kementrian itu kurang fokus kerana terpaksa menjaga bermacam macam hal. Jabatan yang menjalankan kerja tersebut boleh dinaikan taraf kepada Kementrian dan ditadbirkan oleh seorang yang bertaraf menteri. Apa nak panggil beliau? Bagaimana dengan 'Menteri Barangan Turun Naik'. KPI beliau senang sahaja tetapi tidak kurang pentingnya. Apabila harga gula dinaikan X peratus, pemakanan gula pula, targetnya, mesti kurang Y peratus. Jika tidak mencapai target dan tiada sebab yang munasabah, sama ada turunkan harga gula atau tukar menterilah jawabnya.

2010-01-04T17:29:00.000-08:00

Breathtaking view from the hotel window. Penang bridge on the right.
Penang Vacation - Day 3.
All good things must end. Time to check out and leaving our good memory of Penang behind. What about nasi kandar for lunch? Why not, at least can leave Penang with full stomach. I was told nasi kandar originated from the days when hawker actually carry all the food stuff behind their back, peddling their products from house to house. Must be back breaking task to earn a living. Well now days they operate from restaurant.
Driving in Penang city area is quite an experience. The road is narrow and there are too many cars and he he they have no where to go. My friend had given some direction to Kassim Mustaffa restaurant which is located on Lebuh Chulia. Parking, I learned something, as I was about to insert coin in the paking meter, an old man approached me and told me I could park as long as I like for just one ringgit. Looking at my puzzled face he added " saya jaga, jangan susah". Since I did not see any parking attendant I had to trust this old man to take care of my car so that we can have our meal in peace.
The place just started filling up with lunch time crowd as we took our seat. We had a hearty meal before leaving Penang. Sayonara till next trip.

2010-01-02T16:40:00.000-08:00

Hair style demonstration featuring Fatin.

Komtar from the hotel window, the second Penang Bridge under construction can be seen in the backgroun.

With Talib and Mrs.

Penang vacation - Day 2.

Spend most of the time at the Gurney Plaza. A a holidays is not complete with out proper shopping. This quite new shopping mall is located along Persiaran Gurney, sandwiched between condominium and terrace houses. Probably there is no master plan for the development of this particular waterfront. So when somebody decide to have a commercial development there, hey presto you can have it. As a result access to the area is chaotic even during lull period. From the plaza one can see the second bridge construction is well under way.My former school mates Talib happened to be in the vicinity. It was very nice of him and his Mrs. to drop by to say hello.

In the evening friend from Malaysia Airlines drop by at the hotel. Had good chat as he updated me on latest at Penang Airport.

2010-01-01T18:26:00.000-08:00

KOMTAR Penang..crossing busy street.
Ride to new Penang Times Square.
Singing fountain - Penang Times Square.

Penang vacation - day 1.

Crossing Penang bridge around 4pm. What a sight, the newly renovated bridge has an extra lane now. I was looking for Sunway Hotel and wish had invested in GPS. I was told it is located somewhere near KOMTAR so I just headed toward that tall building. It was not difficult afterall as my daughter commented one can never get lost in Penang as long as you remain on the island. he he geog lesson not wasted .

After check in, oh got welcome drink some more, not a bad start, time to discover the place. KOMTAR was a walking distance away, so we set for first destination. Wow! busy street, exercise extreme care when crossing the road. KOMTAR remind me of my favourite place in KL, Ampang Park or Pertama Complex.

Second destination was Penang Times Square. Just completed and many tenants had not moved in yet. What a contrast, comparable to Berjaya Times Square in KL since it was developed by the same Company.

What to do at night? We headed to Batu Ferringgi, shopping and dinner. We are at familiar ground here, been staying around this area most of the time when we are in Penang. Have steak at The Ship which is cheap and the service par excellent. Oh! The TARBUSH just open an outlet here, may try next time. Then shopping at nite market. Cheap imitation goods. Where do these products originated from. Don't want to know, of course not from Italy or France.

Already mid nite time to drive back to the hotel and test those DVDs.

2009-12-31T18:01:00.000-08:00

Welcome 2010.
I am going to usher new year in Penang this time. Left KL yesterday for my parent home in Taiping. On the way did something different. With the completion of North South Highway PLUS, I seldom ventured out of the expressway. If I did make a stop, it was just at one of the R&R.
I made two stop diversion yesterday. First one to visit my wife niece at Batu Gajah. I exited at Gopeng exit, after the toll plaza turn right at the first traffic light. Passing through Gopeng Town. Oh! the prewar shop house still there and the famous water pipe, two gigantic rusty looking pipes across the main road. After all these years they still remain as landmark of Gopeng. Then the simpang tiga where I turned left toward Batu Gajah. The road go all the way to Lumut passing through Sri Iskandar. Before that very famous landmark on the left called Kellie's Castle. I shall write about the place later.
Actually my destination was the KTM complex which is situated away from the town. It housed few thousand staff by the look of it. After having tea at her apartment I continue my journey to Gunung Rapat, Ipoh, to visit one of my former classmate, Dr. Salleh. My association with him went way back from our primary school days in Kuala Kangsar. He showed me some of the old school report of our primary school days at Sekolah Kebangsaan Sultan Idris II. What a nostalgic revisit. Now that we a retired, it make interesting conversation piece. After another hearty meal I proceeded to my final destination, my parent home in Taiping.

2009-12-28T16:15:00.000-08:00

Toll, toil and trouble.
Today headline in one of the newspaper. After 10 death in the 26th. Dec 2009 road accident the paper start to spin stories on the causes. It suggested low salary of the bus driver could be one of them as it could forced them to work overtime in order to make end meet. One guy even blamed the strong divider. In the Kota Baru shopping mall incident somebody put the blame on weaker wall.
Even if you pay these bus diver the like of pilot salary, there is no guarantee that there will not be accident. So please do not speculate but go to the root cause if we want to reduce bus accident. People sleep on the job because they do not have enough sleep in the first place. There could be 1001 reasons what rob them from their precious sleep. We should not be interested in that. The driver must be discipline enough to have enough rest before taking on the road. No regulation or enforcement can ensure this except the driver himself.

2009-12-27T07:53:00.000-08:00

Aina with TDM and TSH

Mansoor,Azmi,CheDin,Najid,Rashid,Termizi,Yogarajan,Shah,Yaacob,Akhir,Shuib,Mokhtar,Wan Zaid.

Yogarajan,Rashid,Yaacob,Shah,Mokhtar,Wan zaid,Najid,Akhir,Shuib.

Fivers 71 at table 8.

With former Head Master (Pengetua) Tuan Syed.

Najid Ramli and Mrs.

SDARA Dinner 2009.

This is an annual affair for the alumni of Sekolah Dato' Abdul Razak. The event was held at Dewan Puspanitapuri, Precint 10, Putrajaya. The guest of honour was Tun Dr. Mahathir and Tun Siti Hasmah. What was more special to me was the presence of my former teacher Mr. Wee Mr. Nathan and Tuan Syed Jaafar (former Pengetua).
Mr.Wee was my former PE teacher and Mr. Nathan was the science teacher. Mr. Nathan was as black as ever and was even dressed with black shirt and pant. During one of his science class he asked one student for the definition of carbon. The guy simply answer 'anything black' which Mr.Nathan was not amused.

My batch fivers71 occupied table no.8 and 9. The function was very well organised this time. My family stayed until the last performance. That speak a lot. Normally they would be looking at their watch but do not have the heart to tell me that they are bored since daddy was having good time.

2009-12-24T16:53:00.000-08:00

Those days in 1971

Class of 1966.

Many of us has retired. Of course those business man friends never retired, kerja sampai mati lah. So we meet again after more than four decades. Some came as far as Kedah and Trengganu
just to gloat over old times. Oh yes one guy came from Boston, USA. he happened to be here on holidays.It was fun once we met and start reminiscing those days in Tanjung Malim. The spirit never want to grow old.

Thank again to IT age with out those SMS we may never be able to communicate just to let old friends know about the meeting.

2009-11-04T13:33:00.000-08:00

VANDALISM.
I was at the Curve Damansara the other day. I saw a keyboard which was part of the directory system to assist visitor to find their way around the complex. It was really in a sorry state. I was wondering, are we going to be a develop nation come the year 2020 if we are not civic minded enough to take care of public property like above. You know the answer.

2009-10-02T18:04:00.000-07:00

Are we at war?

Thundering noises, you know they are coming. Suddenly they appear at lightening speed. From left, right and every where. He he I am exaggerating a little bit. Why are they here at this time of the year? Don't tell me we have so much money left after buying submarine that we are looking for new fighters.

Later as I was browsing SDARA egroups found out that these are American Falcon aerobatic teams doing their rehearsal for air display the next day. Such magnificent killing machines.

2009-09-25T07:07:00.000-07:00

Mee udang banjir Mak Teh of Kuala Sepetang (Port Weld)

One two three.. start.

MEE UDANG of PORT WELD.
Port Weld was renamed Kuala Sepetang recently, someone effort to erase its colonial past which I do not think necessary. Similarly Maxwell Hill was renamed as Bukit Larut. There is nationalistic feeling for doing it but I rather let colonial name stay as it would served as reminder to the future generation that we were once colonised. They would value our independence more and probably encouraged them to learn our history.

My journey to Port Weld was to find what is left of the oldest railway station in Malaysia. The first railway track was built to connect Taiping to this town, mainly to export tin in those days.

I could not find the station neither was there any sign post to indicate the place. I was hoping somebody would do that in future as I am sure there are many history buff (like me) who will be interested.

My trip was not wasted as I discovered Port Weld new attraction.. mee udang banjir Mak Teh.

Costing rm10 a bowl it was delicious, certainly worth the trip to this sleepy town.

2009-09-22T17:32:00.000-07:00

Not the same with out 'ang pow' this Chinese new year tradition has become part of celebration.

Plenty of cookies for the guest

Chatting with the host.

The young visitors.
Aidil Fitri 1430.

Once again we are celebrating the much awaited Aidilfitri after a month long fasting. Despite the recession the festive mood of hari raya is still there especially among the children. Well the school was closed for a week to start with. What is noticeable is that we are no longer flooded by wishing cards instead the mobile phone is jammed with SMS. I like this short one sent by SDARA Rosman, Lemak ikan duri, asam ikan patin, salam aidilfitri, maaf zahir batin. He he very cute and straight to the point. Among SMSs received, surprisingly many from non Muslim. I must make a point to sent them greeting come deepavali, chinese new year and christmas.

Today is the fourth day, still along way to go for this a month long celebration. What away to regain those lost kgs. ;-)

2009-08-20T03:01:00.000-07:00

The host, who is an architect seen here wearing black T shirt.

The house interior.

The external wall.

The main block which is the owner house.

BAMBOO HOUSE INDONESIAN DESIGN.

Last Monday I visited this unique house located at Ulu Langat District. It is situated on a hill slope, deep inside a Malay village. What make this design unique is the use of bamboo as the main construction materials. Not an ordinary bamboo but an imported one from Indonesia. The owner went to Indonesia to do a research on bamboo house design. He managed to convince few craftsmen to come to Malaysia just to do this project for him.

Will the bamboo last? Well according to him he had seen some of these bamboo houses still stand in Bogor, Indonesia after a century. Long enough to last the lease period in Malaysia.

The project is not fully completed yet. Few months from now it is going to be the only kind in this country.

2009-08-13T06:19:00.000-07:00

Aedi dan Nadia selamat bertunang.

Aku menjadi jurucakap bagi pehak keluarga adek lelaki ku.

PERTUNANGAN.

Selang dua minggu seorang lagi anak saudaraku bertunang. Majlis pertunangan kali ini merupakan satu pengalaman baru buat diriku kerana aku telah diminta untuk menjadi juru cakap bagi pehak lelaki. Selalunya tugas ini diberikan kepada orang tua yang berpengalaman. Mengapa pula aku, hati kecilku bertanya. Aku mengaku memanglah aku tidak menganggap diriku didalam golongan muda, memanglah dah tua kerana sudah bersara. Tertapi dari segi pengalaman, memang lah kurang. Sebelum ini aku pernah menjadi juru cakap tetapi bagi pehak perempuan. Mudah sahaja kerana pehak perempuan hanya menunggu.

Apa akan jadi jika aku tersalah cakap. Mungkinkah peminangan tidak diterima atau hantaran yang diminta terkeluar dari budget. Rupanya sangkaanku meleset sekali. Semuanya berjalan dengan lancar dan peminangan telah diterima, Alhamdulillah.

2009-08-02T23:02:00.000-07:00

Sireh junjong ni saya tulong buat chasisnya.

Majlis pertunangan Dr. Mardiah.

Saya telah menyaksikan majlis peminangan anak saudara perempuan pada 26 Jul 2008 yang berlangsung di Klang . Satu majlis yang sederhana tetapi tetap meriah. Bakal suami berkerja sebagai pendidik berasal dari negeri Perak. Semoga selamat diijabkabulkan tidak lama lagi.

2009-08-02T22:14:00.000-07:00

Modified plastic drain cover.
The metal one too expensive since ready made not available, so I came up with improvised version. He he 'necessity is mother of invention' as the proverb says. So far it does the function efficiently and it cost me less than RM8. I hope it will stay.

2009-07-27T17:12:00.000-07:00

Missing drain cover.
Oh! not again, this must be for the third time in the last 28 years. That remind me I have been staying in the same house for that long. The address and phone number had changed several time during the period. Got to think of something to deter such petty theft. The police would laugh in my face if I report this to them.

2009-07-26T09:38:00.000-07:00

Five stiches for the deep cut

We heard of snatch theft case almost everyday but it really hit you hard if it happened to somebody close to you. Last week my daughter became one of the latest victim. Two thugs attacked her just outside her office, Taman Seri Jati, off Jalan Puchong. They not only took her valuables but slashed her throat in the process. Seemed like this is their latest tactic to deter people from chasing them as the focus would now be on the victim to get medical attention. I thanked God, the injury could have been fatal if the cut was 2cm deeper. The weapon used was some kind of ramboo knife. I shared this experience hoping whoever read would alert their children and loved one. Just be alert when people on motorbike approached you and be wary if they keep their bike engine running.

2009-07-21T03:21:00.000-07:00

Cannibal? What at this age!
Well don't be surprised. I was reading the STAR today, this guy, by the name Sumanto, was released from prison where he served for five years, upon conviction of all thing of being a cannibal. He actually stole a body from a graveyard and made himself a meal out of it. He was actually convicted for stealing corpse rather than performing the despicable act. When asked what was the taste like, he simply said, it was delicious. I can't imagine what the feeling like in his village once they know that he is again on the loose.
Note:
The term cannibalisation is also used to describe when you take a component from an aircraft to service another aircraft.

2009-06-28T08:25:00.000-07:00

After a gap of 13 years I am very happy to welcome a niece. My youngest sister gave birth to a handsome baby girl today. Welcome to the world. You don't have a name yet but I am sure your parent will think of something sweet to call you. congratulation to Arina and Hamdan.

2009-06-25T21:47:00.000-07:00

Rice bag with a zipper? or I have not been to the kitchen for a while.
Well I must remember to zip up to keep those rice fresh!

2009-06-22T18:23:00.000-07:00

Datuk Azhar sedang rancak bercerita. Azmi, Talib dan Jamil teruja nampaknya. Membelakangi kamera mrs Azmi dan mrs Shuib.

Datuk Rashid dan Mokhtar juga berada dimeja yang sama.

Giliran Mokhtar pula bercerita sesuatu kepada Teoh.

Shuib juga tidak ketinggalan bercerita.

Me and Teoh.

Dr.Hamzah Hamid wedding function at Putrajaya Sunday 21st. June 2009.

Some of us meet again at Dr.Hamzah Hamid daughter wedding at Komplek Perbadanan Putrajaya, Dewan Siantan. I was not too trigger happy that day so did not took too many photos. We had a group photo at the pelamin. The photo was taken by Hamzah's anak buah. So I hope he will share it with us in the near future. I remember we had group photo at several fivers71 wedding functions but they were a bit shy to share it with us. Any respond geng.

The caterer was none pther than our friend Ghazali Akasah of Kantan Tiga Katering. Ni nak promote sikit, the food was superb and service was excellence. So sape yang nak buat kenduri bolehlah kontek beliau.

2009-06-21T07:50:00.000-07:00

My kids never forget come 21st.June. It is a father's day. I usually get hand made card to remind me who is the boss around here but this time round it is one of those from the shop. Either they run out of ideas or may be they are loaded. Who is loading them, I wonder if the person is not me.

The thought that is matter dear. Thank you kid.

2009-06-19T11:39:00.000-07:00

When old friends meet - Fivers71 TT session at Kampung Baru 19th. June 2009.
We were school mate in the 60s. So what did we talk about for almost three hours. You can imagine. The same old stories that might bored people to death but the seven of us still find it amusing and even gave it new twist he he. We could have met at a coffee house in one of the KL five star hotel but we choosed this simple stall in Kampung Baru (My Sitsa Corner) simply because the owner happened to be one of us.
We wondered what happened to those who could not come, and those that we have no news at all. One name always cropped up, Wan Hussein from Kelantan, because somebody said he had three wifes. Is it true Wan? You do make us jealous.

Rashid,Shuib and Akhir.

Mokhtar, Shuib,Akhir,Hamdan,Yahya and Jamil.
Rashid, Akhir,Hamdan,Yahya,Jamil(hidden)Shah,Mokhtar.
Jamil,Shah,Mokhtar,Rashid, Akhir, Hamdan.
Akhir,Hamdan,Yahya,Jamil,Shah,Mokhtar,Rashid.

2009-06-07T15:44:00.000-07:00

Shakespeare Country.

To day we visited Shakespeare's birth place, Stratford upon Avon. I am fascinated by the tranquility of an English country side. I found few signs were hidden by thick summer foliage.

2009-06-07T14:47:00.000-07:00

Shopping at Clarks Village.
Holidays with out shopping is unthinkable.. to most people.. me included. Seen here at Clarks Village, Street, Somerset. The maker of Clark shoes actually started his business here. More details at www.clarksvillage.co.uk

2009-06-06T14:43:00.000-07:00

At The Roman Baths, City of Bath.
When the Roman invaded Great Britain more than 2000 years ago they discovered hot spring in the area. They build a bath house around the hot water spring. It was used for few hundred years then abandoned. I believed the British did not know how to maintained it. It laid buried for more than a thousand years. During the Victorian time it was discovered by accident. After careful excavation the place had been restored to its former glory. To day we are able to learn how the Roman once live in Great Britain.

2009-06-02T21:18:00.000-07:00

Beatles Mania.
Kembali menyaksikan kumpulan Beatles di Madame Tussauds Wax house Museum, London.
Walupun kumpulan penyanyi era seangkatan tiada lagi dipamirkan disitu tetapi kumpulan Beatles maseh diberi tempat, membuktikan kumpulan ini maseh mempunyai ramai peminat, termasuklah saya.

2009-05-25T19:31:00.000-07:00

Ripe coconut wasting away on the ground.

Jambu fruits rotting away on the ground.

In the mean time money is growing on the tree.

Money growing on the tree, well not exactly. I was told that is what the green plant is called. Probably the round shaped leaves do resemble a coin from a distance. You know we used to trade with copper coin at one time and these coin do become greenish if left to the mother nature for too long.

I went back to my kampung last weekend. The two picture at the top was quite a common scene. I just wish the owner can find a better use for excess resources that they have on their ground. In fact I was offered to take home the coconut but thinking of my constraint luggage space I had to decline the offer.

2009-04-29T18:19:00.002-07:00

The main road leading to the school.

This was my standard one class room.

A peek inside the class room. This was my classroom in standard four.

The school main Entrance, the admin office was on the first floor.
SEKOLAH KEBANGSAAN SULTAN IDRIS II, KUALA KANGSAR.

This was my first school. I was enrolled in standard one in 1960. In those days the double storey concrete building looked so grand. It was known as Central Malay School. In Malay it was also called 'Sekolah Pusat'. I was wondering at that time the connection between navel (pusat) and school. Nobody could satisfied my curiosity then. The school was renamed as SKSI kedua after the late Sultan Idris ascended the throne. The headmaster Che Gu Shaziman proudly explained to us, " Your school is the first Malay primary school in Perak with concrete building"

I started standard one with out going to Tadika. In fact I hardly recognised the alphabet. The form teacher was a beautiful lady, Che Gu Marhamah. She was married to Che Gu Hamid who later thought me in standard six. I did badly during first term exam by securing 14th place. I catch up very fast with the rest of the class. By the third term exam I managed to secure the first place. The school has many new structures over the years but the original building remained unique being one of its kind in Perak.

My teacher were mostly graduates of Maktab Perguruan Sultan Idris, Tanjung Malim. Among them Chegu Abu Bakar, Chegu Md Zain, Chegu Jalal. I had a DTC teacher by the name Chegu Raba Aishah while I was in Standard two who came from Sayung.

2009-04-29T16:45:00.000-07:00

Policeman's son posing for for me. Just like me during primary school days. The arrow indicating where barrack 'E' used to be. Barrack 'E' was built during colonial time. It was a one bedroom apartment with commom toilet facilities.

Next to the police quater is the 'Padang Majlis Perbandaran Kuala Kangsar'. The first merdeka celebration was conducted here. It is gone now being replaced by MPKK complex.

The back of the unit where my family used to live in the 60s.

I used to live in the top right hand unit. It is a one room apartment but with kitchen and toilet. It was called 'barrack baru' then. Total floor area probably smaller than the current single storey terrace house.
REVISITING KUALA KANGSAR POLICE QUARTER.

There is a plan to relocate the police quater somewhere else in Kuala Kangsar. So last week I took the oppurtunity to pay a visit to the place I used to stay in the 60s. Well some of the building had already been demolished. Barrack 'E' which was built during colonial time was no more there. It was a concrete building facing the Town padang. The original unit had 'dapur kayu' with chimney. It was no longer used even in the 60s as we had evolved to kerosene stove era. There was a common bathroom and toilet at the end of the building. Quite a common sight those days to see mothers 'berkemban' going to the bath room with their washings and afterward drying them on cloth line located at the back of the barrack. 'Tudung' was never heard off in those days and 'selendang' was only used during formal function.

Barrack 'E' had common electric meter and water meter. Electricity was supplied by 'Kinta Electricity Board'. The tenant paid fixed rate for all the utilities. Those who owned electric iron had to pay surcharge of 1 ringgit per month. Some tenant had the only other electrical appliance which is a radio.

Later my family moved to 'barrack baru' which is a self contained unit. A real luxury in those days. Another colonial history being erased from our soil and it reflect how far we have progressed since then.

2009-04-10T10:27:00.000-07:00

Deserted Shopping Complex
Is recession really here.
I went for dinner with my family at one of the shopping complex last Tuesday. I could not believe my eye. It was almost empty. Despite many discounted items as high as 70% in most of the outlets I hardly see any shoppers. Is the worst yet to come?
On the brighter side since there was not many customer you get personal attention from the sale personnel and parking was not a problem. I wonder what will happened to staff if the shop owner decide to close shop when the worst time come.

2009-04-10T06:24:00.000-07:00

A lone figure doing morning exercise
Padang Asam, Subang Jaya, section 14.

It is a park near my house. It has no particular name but the kid around the area call it Padang Asam since the park has so many matured tamarind trees.
This is where I do my exercise whenever time or weather permit. Recently the local mnucipal had upgraded the park with many facilities which include jogging track. The park is even lighted at night. In the morning you can find many groups doing aerobic exercises or people doing their morning stroll.

2009-04-09T19:57:00.000-07:00

The modern day pirates.
During my early history lesson the name Francis Drake (Sir) appeared many times in the history of British Empire. He was a pirate and then knighted by the Queen for helping the British Empire to contain the influence of the Spanish. He did that by just plundering and pirating Spanish ships that sail back and forth between Spain and South America. So in those days if you fight the enemies of your country, you can be considered a hero. Francis was remembered as the first British to circumnavigate the globe.
To day in Somalia same kind of pirates still exist. Recently two Malaysian tankers were hijacked by them and just few days ago an American ship too was hijacked. The whole world is watching on the American next move. The Captain of the hijacked ship attempted to escape today by jumping overboard but unfortunately he was recaptured. He must be very brave to do that. Meanwhile another American warship was dispatched to the area to shadow the hijacker. Since the American have not invaded Somalia yet to free the hostages I presume they classify these hijackers less dangerous than terrorist.
(13.4.09) The Captain was rescued by American Navy after a shoot out. While Malaysian government hired foreigner to negotiate and pay ransom in millions of Ringgit, the American used force to free the hostage.

2009-04-03T06:17:00.000-07:00

Politik dimesjid.

Mesjid adalah tempat untuk beribadat bukannya tempat berkempen untuk meraih undi sama ada bagi pehak kerajaan atau pembangkang. Institusi mesjid mestilah dihormati kalau tidak mahu kehilanagan keperchayaan para jemaah. Apa yang disampaikan oleh khatib mestilah tidak berat sebelah kerana para jemaah terdiri dari pelbagai pehak. Jika ada jemaah yang meluat mendengar apa yang dilaongkan oleh khatib tentulah dia tidak akan dapat menghayati bila sampai tentang bab ugama pula. Baru baru ini pilihan raya kecil telah diadakan di dua bukit dan satu batang. Walau pun tempat itu jauh tetapi khatib maseh mahu berkempen mengingatkan para jemaah siapa yang patut dipilih seolaholah semua orang dimesjid itu akan pergi mengundi. Macamlah tiada modal nak berkhutbah. Saya tidak bermaksud memperkecilkan pehak khatib mahu pun pehak mesjid, cuma kurang senang dengan topik yang disampaikan.

2009-03-23T18:03:00.001-07:00

Fathering a child.
Anything is possible these days. What I really mean is man giving birth to a baby. Read in STAR yesterday, Ruben from Spain expecting a twin. In the same article it mentioned another man from US , Thomas had given birth to a baby girl named Susan last June and he is expecting another baby this coming summer. Just imagine all eye will be staring at his ballooning belly when the couple tell friend that they are expecting another baby.
So man if you think your partner is infertile, that is no excuse really to set up a second branch. Why not get a D.I.Y kit and have that baby. Once you can feel the baby inside you can tell your partner that " Yang, I mengidam buah kedongdong la. Tolong carikan."

2009-03-23T08:23:00.000-07:00

Rafique and Puteri (1st and 2nd from left) relating their experiences at RYLA 2009.
RYLA 2009. (Rotary Youth Leadership Award)
Early this month Rotary Club of Kampong Baharu sponsored two candidates to attend a RYLA at Out Bound Malaysia Lumut. RYLA is a workshop/seminar organised for youth development. It has similar objectives like Kursus Khidmat Negara but carried out with shorter time frame. As usual the sponsored candidates make a visit to the club to share their experience with Rotarian of Kampong Baharu. In 2007 Rotary Club of Kampong Baharu was the hosting club for the event which took place at the same venue.

2009-03-12T09:10:00.000-07:00

Rotarians from Rotary Club of Kampong Baharu, from left the author, PE Dr.Feardaus, CP Hj.Razali and Rtn Helmy.

District Governor Dr.Rajindar Singh and Rotary International President Dong-Kurn Lee and their spouses.

DISTRICT 3300 INTERCITY MEETING WITH RI PRESIDENT D.K. LEE.
The meeting was organised on the 10th March 2009 at Sunway Convention Centre in conjunction with RI President D.K. Lee visit to Malaysia. RI President is the highest office in the Rotary Organisation. RI President D.K. Lee hailed from South Korea and happened to be the first RI President appointed from this part of the world. The RI President this year carry a special message to reduce child mortality. Many of this year programs go toward providing foods, medical care, clean water and creating jobs for parents which in the long run help young children. According to him the current recession gave greater challenge to Rotarians to provide services to the community. The function also provide opportunity to recognise contribution by Rotarians over the past one year.

2009-03-10T04:11:00.000-07:00

Destination, Kampung Sungai Karang, Beserah.

R & R Temerloh.

Oh one can park anywhere.

OFF PEAK TRAVEL.

Recently I had to travel to Kuantan to fetch my mother in law who wanted to come to Kuala Lumpur. Since I had to leave for Kuantan very early in the morning I was spared the normal traffic jam. The journey took about two hours. Not only the road was deserted, I also did not see a single traffic police during the journey. Most of the rest area was also empty. Sometimes I wonder why we do not take the advantage of travelling during off peak period, instead we tend to join the mad rush during festive season to balek kampong.

2009-02-03T02:47:00.000-08:00

Got this bit and pieces of exercise bike from the store room. They are still in good condition despite being left there more than two decades ago. This going to be my project for the day. What else to do? My Anne had gone to work and my kid too had gone to school. One hour later the assembly was completed and walla you can see the finish product below. Well assembling the gear was easy but to do the exercise is something else.

2009-01-30T20:09:00.000-08:00

Nasi dagang at gerai no.2 Tanjung Api, Kuantan.

Fishing boat undergoing repair.

Me visiting the ship yard.

Tanjung Api Kuantan.

During my last visit to Kuantan one of my relative took my family to Tanjung Api to eat nasi dagang. We have to be there early or there will be no nasi dagang as it is very popular with the local there, according to him.

True enough, the nasi was very tasty and judging by the crowd we were wise to be there early.

While having our meals I was distracted by industrial noise next door. I was informed it came from the fishing boat repair yard nearby. Leaving the rest to continue with their second helping I ventured out to see the ship yard. I was amazed to see the work being done at the workshop there. Amid modern equipments and conventional tools I could see many artisans and craft men busy doing their work. I found out they do not receive formal training but learned their trade from their elders. I just wonder if the relevant ministry is playing active role in promoting the industry. These people are working on ocean going boat where safety is very critical. We are capable of building navy ship and merchant ship, I wonder if we have overlooked the simple need of our fisherman, after all that is where our fish on the dining table come from

2009-01-30T19:19:00.000-08:00

The crowd admiring Mona Lisa Painting.

Aina and Mona Lisa.

Fatin and Mona Lisa.
DA VINCI exhibition coming to KL.

At the whooping cost of RM1.05mil National Art Gallery is trying to bring the legendary works of Leonardo Da Vinci to Malaysia albeit minus the famous Mona Lisa. For security reason the French Government do not allow the painting to leave French Soil. With or without Mona Lisa the exhibition is still worthwhile to attend for many of us. For those who have read the novel or watch the movie 'Da Vinci Code' they would be able to relate certain part of Da Vinci work. He is not just an artist but a scientist, engineer, inventor and a poet all in one. I can't wait to see his original sketches of helicopter, jet engine, submarine and flying machine. National Art Gallery must be lauded for making such effort to bring the exhibition to Southeast Asia for the first time. If your children is inclined to arts this exhibition is a must for them after all a trip to Paris is not cheap in comparison. (in today STAR, date of exh. tba)

2009-01-29T09:24:00.000-08:00

Ame and Intan at Fraser's Hill - 25th Jan 2009.

Clowning around at Fraser's Hill.

Happy Birthday to my Twin.

OMG you are already twenty eight years old. How fast times has flown. It seemed like yesterday when I received that phone call from University Hospital informing that they had to perform cesarean to bring you to this world. Those landmarks in your life flickering through my mind .. flashbacks .. kindergarten.. primary school.. secondary school.. college school.. University school.. he he driving school.. Deep in my heart you are still my little girl. I will always love you very much and accept you for what you are. I thank God for all the joy (he he and pain) you had given me. I pray for your safety and happiness and your futures. Happy birthday!!

2009-01-15T18:32:00.000-08:00

Aircraft Ditching.
I saw on ASTRO this morning US Airways Airbus A320 made successful ditching (landing on water) on the Hudson River near Manhattan, New York. The Airliner with 155 passengers and crews just took off from La Guardia Airport minutes earlier had encountered a bird strike which crippled both of its engine. The pilot decided to make air turn back and was directed to land at Teterboro, New Jersey. However the pilot had to ditch the plane into Hudson River as he was loosing height rapidly. Credit must be given to the pilot and the crew who had handled the situation professionally as a result there was no serious fatality. This goes to show that proper training of human resources is a good investment for any organisation. The picture showed the plane remained floating after several hours as the wing was designed to act as a float under such situation provided it remained intact.

(Pic from Yahoo Flickr)

2009-01-05T07:25:00.000-08:00

Cik Jam Wedding.

Finally after waiting for more than ... years my younger sister found her match and decided to end her bachelor days. He he at last merasa juga makan nasi minyak hang.

A simple reception attended by about 300 guest was held at Kelab Golf Perkhidmatan Awam (KGPA) on 27th. Dec 2008.

My family had group photo with the newly wed couple. I was deeply touched by the closeness shown by my sister instant family. Wishing you all the best sis.

2008-10-27T07:19:00.000-07:00

Placing the ring at her future step mother finger.

The cake says it all.
The sibling.

3M function.
To day is a special occasion for my family. My sister decided to end her bachelor life in a very simple ceremony which I called 3M. You might be wondering why I called it 3M. Initially I was informed somebody is coming to 'merisek' my sister. Later it turned out it was more that. It was actualy 3 in 1 ie 'merisek' 'melamar' and 'meminang'. As they say, never delay a good thing. It was very touching indeed to witness one her future step daughter placing the ring on my sister's finger. It was a good start for the family. I pray for they all to have wonderful future.

2008-10-24T09:39:00.000-07:00

History of Malaysia Airlines - part II-

New generation of pure jet aircraft.Change of Logo when Singapore left Malaysia.

The Comet.
Malayan Airways became Malaysian Airlines Limited with the formation of Malaysia in 1963. The name changed again to Malaysia-Singapore Airlines (MSA) when the Government of Malaysia and Singapore jointly acquired majority control of Malaysian Airways Limited. Many new destinations were added such as Perth, Sydney, Taipei,Tokyo, Madras and Colombo. The airlines expanded rapidly as Singapore became an important hub in the aviation traffic between Sydney and London.

2008-10-24T09:33:00.000-07:00

History of Malaysia Airlines-Part I-

Twin engined Airspeed Consul.

The pioneering ladies of the sky.

Early destinations.

The "winged tiger"

MALAYAN AIRWAYS.

Malayan Airways Limited (MAL) was incorporated on 12th. October 1937 by three companies, Straits Steamship Company of Singapore, Ocean Steamship Company of Liverpool and Imperial Airways after getting approval from the government of Colonial Straits Settlement.

It took another ten years before the inaugural flight from Singapore to Penang via Kuala Lumpur and Ipoh could be mounted on 2nd. April 1947. This longest delay was attributed to second world war which had enveloped the region then.Malayan Airways logo consist of winged tiger. The first aircraft used was a twin engined Airspeed Consul, a five seater plane. During the first year of operation, 20 seater DC-3 aeroplane was added to the fleet, legacy of surplus second world war transport aircraft. Destinations like Batavia (Jakarta), Palembang, Medan and Saigon (Ho Chi Minch City) were added.More aircraft were added, the fleet now consist of Beaver aircraft, DC-4 Skymaster, Vicounts and Bristol Brittania while destinations like Hong Kong, Jesselton (Kota Kinabalu) and Bangkok were added.Malayan Airways came into the jet age in 1962 with the introduction of 5 Comets IVs aircraft.

2008-10-12T18:05:00.000-07:00

Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Subang Jaya.
Sponsored banner from one of the IPTS.
Another sponsored banner from one of the IPTS.
One of the thousands PMR candidate.

PMR 2008.

This week my youngest daughter is taking her PMR exam. During my time in 1969 it was known as SRP or LCE. As I recalled it was an important examination to determine which stream you would be in form four. If you get good result you would have more choices or else you have to be in arts stream.

Many of us did well in the exam but due to limited facility there was only one pure science class. As a result many had to leave SDAR to pursue their ambition in technical field. Almost 40 Sdarians left to join RMC and Technical Institutes in KL and Penang. We lost many potential student but many of them did very well in their chosen field.

To all taking examinations this year, best of luck. There are ample scopes for whatever your chosen field.

2008-10-04T05:57:00.000-07:00

The Bird House.
I saw this strange looking structure in kampong Sungai Karang, Beserah. It looked like a house but it has no window. It has a staircase with a solitary door at the side. What could it be. When I enquired around I was told it is a bird house. What! a house for birds. Must be some lucky birds compared to some unfortunate human neighbours who only live in dilapidated wooden house. I was told the bird nest can fetch between 4-5K per kilogram. You can read more about this industry at http://burunglayang-layang.blogspot.com/

2008-09-23T21:51:00.000-07:00

At Jaya Jusco, Bukit Tinggi, Klang.
Some of the children from Al-Munirah Home.

One of the children saying thank you, Ustaz at the back.

Rotary Club of Kampong Baharu community project.

It has become an annual event for Rotary Club of Kampong Baharu to extend the joy of celebrating Hari Raya with the under privilege children. Last Sunday on 21st. September 2008 the members of Rotary Club of Kampong Baharu took 46 children from Al-Munirah Welfare Home in Klang for Hari Raya shopping at Jaya Jusco , Klang.
Since most of the children had never done hari raya shopping before so they were assisted by a group of volunteers who acted as their foster parent for the day. The joy reflected on the children faces make the effort worth while.
Note: The writer is the club treasurer for 08-09 session.

2008-09-21T18:36:00.000-07:00

KESAS (Klang Shah Alam expressway)
As a road user I find the numerous highway and expressway available in the country make my journey easier and safer.
The journey from Kuala Lumpur to Taiping which in the past took as long as eight hours, now can be reduced to less than four hours. My other regular destination Kuala Lumpur - Kuantan also took about eight hours, now can be accomplished in less than four hours also. I used to drive all by myself, now I am very confident to let my wife and even my daughters to take over whenever the need arise. The other aspect is the convenient of rest area if you need to stop and rest. It was so difficult before to look for toilet or surau, now you can take for granted that you will find one at all the rest area. Of course every now and then the rest area is very crowded but it only happened during festive period. We are happy to pay for the services and this will go on for eternity.
When I travel oversea to Europe or USA I find they have same thing more or less but why is it free. The organization that have been licenced to operate highway in Malaysia, who are they actually. Why can't it be free just like those highway oversea?

2008-09-12T16:15:00.000-07:00

The moment before the second hijacked plane crashed into one of the World trade Centre Tower building. The other tower can be seen burning in the background.(photo from foxnews.com)

The side renamed 'Ground Zero' as seen to day. (photo from foxnews.com)

September11 remembered.
One of the landmark of modern history. On that day four aeroplanes were hijacked by 19 al-Qeada linked fighters and subsequently crashed onto several targets. This suicidal kamikaze attacked by al-Qeada inflamed the world and led USA to mount an invasion of Afganistan Taliban government which was accused of harbouring the al-Qeada leader Osama bin Ladin.
Two of the planes were crashed onto World Trade Centre in New York killing all the passengers on board as well as many on ground after the famous building collapsed within two hours. Another plane crashed on Pentagon while the remaining one crashed near Shanksville short of their intended target suspected to be Washington DC.
As a result of the event security measures were tightened for all air travels and the cause of al-Qeada fight became publicised to the world. My sympathy goes to all the innocent victims and their immediate family members and relatives. May God bless them. Amen.

2008-09-06T08:41:00.000-07:00

Shopping for Hari Raya.
Preparation for the big day continues. You can see hive of activities at all the shopping complexes. I was at Ampang Park to day doing some shopping for my family members. Well, actually I was just the driver but my family insisted my role as a banker was more important to them. Tried to be purchasing analyst but my sense of colour matching was never good. Most of the time, when consulted I just nod my approval. I was more concerned in keeping everything within the budget. My bank is small so can be easily broken.
I like to see the joy in the shoppers face when bargaining for their item. I noticed those celebrating Hari Raya seemed to focus on purchasing dresses and assessories. Not like christmas time when people focus on getting presents for their close one.
As usual my family break fasted at Cosy Corner, our favourite restaurant. The place was full house and had to turn away many customers. The staff had a hard time trying to meet customers demand as they wanted to eat at the same time but with different menu. Additional tables were placed along the restaurant corridor to add capacity.

Tony Fernandes started his blog.

CEO of AirAsia Dato' Tony Fernandes started his blog http://tonyfernandesblog.com/ on 31st. Aug 2008. More CEOs should follow his foot step to enable direct interaction with the customers. Aviation ftratenities are looking forward for future postings by Tony. I just hope he will manage to cope with public responses as his blog defenitely going to be a big hit.

2008-08-25T19:18:00.000-07:00

Beijing Olympic 2008 - day 16-
Finally it is over. Now I can breath easy and look at other channel on the Astro. Malaysia has one lone silver medal to show but that had given birth to two datukship. When CM of Penang announced LCW to be awarded datukship I was awed. Then his coach Misbun Sidek to get one too from the Malacca state, that was awesome. It is about time sportsmen and sportswomen in this country be given the due recognition. Their contributions to the country is too valuable to the future generation. I am hoping Shalin to be given one soon for her contribution in Bowling.
For the overall medal score, China must be commended for being a model host and for being the first Asian nation to be the Olympic Champion.
OK lets see London in 2012.

2008-08-21T21:49:00.000-07:00

Billboard (3)
On the 14th. July 2008 I wrote something about billboard that portray politician faces. It turn out I was not the only one who was curious on the effectiveness of such advertisement to promote tourism in this country. Mr. Lim Kit Siang posted similar question in parliament recently but did not get any answer yet. Refer below:
16. PR-1213-L16059
*Tuan Lim Kit Siang* [Ipoh Timur] minta *MENTERI PELANCONGAN* menyatakan bilangan dan kos papan-papan iklan promosi pelancongan yang diletak di sepanjang Lebuh Raya Utara-Selatan, serta rasional bagi gambar-gambar YAB Perdana Menteri, Timbalan Perdana Menteri serta Menteri turut dipaparkan di papan-papan iklan berkenaan, apakah kajian saintifik yang menunjukkan gambar-gambarberkenaan turut membantu menggalakkan pelancongan.

2008-08-18T02:39:00.000-07:00

Beijing Olympic 2008.
At last Malaysia get a medal, albeit only a silver. How many days the countyry have been waiting? I can't remember anymore but it is worth it. Now Malaysia is on the list. More than 50% of the paticipating countries don't even have a medal to show. At least we can proudly say we are among the medal winner like China and USA. He he must be the understatement of the year.
In the mean time Michael Phelps has become the greatest Olympian of all time after winning his 8th gold metal, seven of them in new world record time. A monumental feat indeed.

2008-08-16T08:01:00.000-07:00

Day....3 Beijing Olympic 2008
Park Tae-hwan of Korea ended the American and Australian domination in the pool by taking 400 metre free style. The Thai lady scored gold in weight lifting 53Kg category. What is interesting is her long name.. Prapawadee Jaroenrattanatarakon. Malaysian double lady badminton bowed out after losing to the Korean.
Day....4 Beijing Olympic 2008
Surprise .. Wong Choong Hann beat Taufik Hidayat in the second round of man badminton. Michael Phelps on to his second gold...almost as his team mate, Jason Lezak came from behind to win the 4X100m free style.
Day....5 Beijing Olympic 2008
Malaysians medal hope melting away. First saw the archery team event losing to Italy by just a mere 5 point. On the last shoot out two of the Malaysian archer scored bull eye but it was too late to catch up with the Italians.
In badminton, lady single player lost out to China by a whisker and our double men best hope saw the exit by the Indonesian. We are left with LCW.
Day....6 Beijing Olympic 2008
The medal tally list is getting longer. Now more than 52 countries has won at least one medal, what ever the colour may be. Where is Malaysia? Still not there. Our badminton hero LCW is still in the medal hunt. Hang on there my hero. The whole country is looking forward to this.
Michael Phelps continued his medal hunt with fifth gold. What a performance. I think he will have no problem in breaking Mark Spitz’s 36 years old record of winning 7 gold.
China continue to lead with 22 gold and the nearest rival is USA with 10 gold. Saw picture of President Bush with one of the beach volleyball player. He is still there in Beijing. Wonder who is running the country.
Day....7 Beijing Olympic 2008
LCW into the final after beating the Korean at the same time ensuring Malaysia at least a silver medal. That really put off the pressure on him. To most Malaysians me included the hope is for him to get the gold. It will really do the country proud.
Day....8 Beijing Olympic 2008
Michael Phelps on target. He is already on his 7th gold, equalling the feat achieved by Mark Spitz at Atlanta. Field and track started.

2008-08-10T22:57:00.000-07:00

Beijing Olympic 2nd. day -
List of countries with medal is getting longer, more than 32 on the second day but Malaysia is nowhere to be seen. Michael Phelps on target going for his maximum record of eight gold medals. Even the American is crazy with figure 8. Surprise.. surprise China, the host country is leading with 8 medal tally. Oh eight again.
Is it so hard to get even one bronze medal after spending millions. It is hard. It is easier to sent somebody to outer space.
I doesn't seemed fair when a person can swim away with eight gold medal and yet for a soccer team to get a gold, it is a hard and winding road for the whole team.

2008-08-09T17:34:00.000-07:00

Olympic 2008 - Lets the game begin -
It's happening every four years, the sporting meet that get more grand every time it is being organised and the 2008 games is no different. The opening ceremony, estimated cost 100 millions USD, was one of the most spectacular the world had ever seen.
204 nations are taking part this time round. Brunei state did make a name that night by failing to submit competitors name on time, so was not allowed to participate in the game. Malaysian contingent was among the first to appear marching proudly in the national dress.
As many as 54 head of states attended the function including Yang Di Pertuan Agong.
Many of the events will be shown live on Astro channel for the next two weeks. May the best sportsmen/women win. Malaysians hope of bringing the first gold medal home looked very bright this time. Our badminton fans will have to wait and see.

2008-08-08T02:34:00.000-07:00

There must be thousands of them. Many years ago during my primary school days, I was taught in details the kind of life these little ants live. There is the queen, the soldiers and of course the workers. Ever wonder if you are just one of the ant. Living in an ants colony could be interesting you know. One thing for sure you do not have to worry about the cost of living.

2008-08-08T02:11:00.000-07:00

This old bungalow is the remnant of the colonial era. Judging by the old chimney protruding from the roof, it could be constructed in the mid fifties. It could be the residence of one of the senior government servant during the time. The building still looked solid. Why is it being abandoned? I wonder why?
I was exploring the area behind the Kuala Pilah rest house. The road was leading to the communication tower on the hill top. The spot seemed isolated from the rest of the town. When many people are still with out proper dwelling, it seemed like a waste.

2008-08-06T08:12:00.000-07:00

I was down with dengue fever since 27th July 08. I did not quite realise it at that time thinking it was just a normal fever. It started with my mrs when she was admitted to DE Medical centre on 23rd July08. I was very occupied with her illness and my daughter too had some form of virus infection. So I just went for the normal fever treatment, so was on MC for three days. After my mrs was discharged and my daughter became better I decided to go for blood test at DE Medical centre in Shah Alam. True enough I was diagnosed with dengue but fortunately the blood count had gone up and my condition was considered stable. I am still not feeling well and this is my first attempt at my blog.It was a terrible feeling when everything doesn't feel right. All the joint aches and that bitter feeling in the mouth. But I am feeling better now. He he God is testing me.

2008-07-23T18:11:00.000-07:00

Billboards (2)
Stated in the STAR today, there is a move to regulate billboards in Selangor state(N33) as the percentage of the illegal one could be as high as 80%. Not surprised, as the article also mentioned the revenue generated by such billboard in Petaling Jaya could fetch as high as RM300K per annum. The land owner who allowed such structure to be built on their land could collect cool 30% of it.
Come to think of it, if authorities could not handle illegal billboards, such gigantic structures firmly planted on the ground, how are they going to handle pirated CD and imitation goods sold at night market. Sound familiar with illegal factories and illegal dumping sites? So it might takes sometimes for the authorities to sort out the legal aspects in the mean time those who want exploit the situation can make millions.

2008-07-22T02:29:00.000-07:00

NEW AIRCRAFT FOR MAS.
Malaysia Airlines announced that they have ordered 35 Next-Generation 737-800 airplanes. The order is valued at more than $2.6 billion. The airline has also acquired purchase rights for an additional 20 Next-Generation 737-800s which will replace their existing 737-400 fleet, allowing expansion to points which were not economically viable currently.
Both Airbus and Boeing had been lobbying heavily to get this sale. MAS being one of the largest B737-400 operator in the world decided to continue using Boeing products. There are many angles to consider when making the decision and the most important one being the commercial considerations.

2008-07-14T18:24:00.000-07:00

Politician billboard. One too many.

One or two along the highway may looked nice but when you have a jungle of them, it does not make the intended impact. It is understandable some product can be promoted this way but I find it ridiculous why some government ministry need to promote their minister’s face. Now every time there is a cabinet reshuffle, the billboard need to be updated. What make it worse is the size of the billboard. What a pity to see a miniature billboard featuring the minister sitting below a giant billboard promoting a car. May be those in advertising industry have a better understanding on this.

Video clip below is my first attempt. Are you Suzie Quatro fan? Enjoy the song if you are. It keep me awake during those otherwise boring journey to and fro to KLIA. I blog something about her book few months ago.BTW loading of video clip may take hours :-(

2008-07-09T19:00:00.000-07:00

FREE WATER.
It was raining heavily yesterday. My bedroom sprung a bad leak so I had to use a pail to collect the water. In jest I was telling my daughter, "This must be the free water promised by the new MB of Selangor". She replied' "Not funny, dad, wait till you get free electricity". As soon as she finished her sentence there was lightening followed by thunder and the power tripped.

2008-07-08T23:55:00.000-07:00

DESA INN.
I was surfing for accommodation in Kuala Pilah when I found this hotel listed in Virtual Tourist website but there was no contact or email address given. As we were approaching the town, I saw signage giving direction to the hotel. It was simple enough and we found the hotel somewhere near the bus station.
It has 29 air-conditioned rooms, each equipped with ctv and phone. Surprising it has no wi fi or even email address for that matter. I met the manager, Mrs. Lee. A very friendly lady. She was telling me the hotel rates has not been revised for many years now despite rising cost. It is so much easier to answer any enquiries on rate by saying ‘Harga dulu juga lah, tak de naik” Then she went on explaining the strategy she adopted to keep her overheads low. Wow! Mrs. Lee, with such expertise, you can run an airlines anytime. According to her, the owner had purchased a piece of land nearby and was planning to build a bigger hotel. She was hoping the new hotel will have on line reservation facilities.
I found the room very clean and the staff worked efficiently.
Address: Desa Inn, Lot 745, Jalan Chevalier, Kuala Pilah, 72000, Negeri Sembilan DK, Malaysia . Telephone: 606- 481 8033 Fax :606- 481 8213