Malaysian Post

Steamed Lizard, Anyone?

2007-10-07T21:11:00.000+08:00

Found a lizard trapped inside our steamer today.

Yummy…. Steamed Lizard for lunch today…..

Would you like to know what steamed lizard taste like??

Then, read on…..

If you can swallow that (yuukkk!!) you must be out of your mind. :-))

Of course the lizard was released unharmed right after I am done with the photoshoot.

Still wondering how it got itself trapped in the steamer in the first place though.

Coke Down The Drain

2007-10-07T21:10:00.000+08:00

Was returning to KL from Singapore this afternoon when we got caught in a minor jam just before Seremban, Negeri Sembilan. The cause was an overturned trailer loaded with thousands of cans and bottles of Coke!

More photos available at Free Photo Gallery

Maids on my mind

2007-10-07T21:09:00.000+08:00

After the gory previous post, a humorous one regarding the situation here in Malaysia is in order. Article published in today’s Star

Maids on my mind

Sights &Sounds: By XANDRIA OOI

IN ALMOST every middle to high-income household, there lives someone who is not a member of the family, yet manages to have the most in-depth knowledge about every family member.

The father and mother may be the king and queen of the house, but it is this person everyone relies on for home-cooked food, crisp clothes and a clean living environment – our domestic helper, otherwise known as the maid.

When the subject of maids arises, some heads would shake and people would sigh.

“My maid is so hopeless”

“Mine is so stupid!”

“Mine stole my money, had an affair with an Indonesian man and ran away last night.”

In the newspapers, we read about maids who abuse the children in their care, maids who seduce their male employers, and maids who are dishonest and cannot be trusted.

If one didn’t know better, one would think that maids are hired for the sole purpose of making our lives a living nightmare.

Just as it would be hard to tell a serial killer from a superman, it is difficult for us to know, especially from just a picture, the mindset and personality of the person we are hiring to help us.

In the newspapers, there are reports of rape, murders and robberies; but this does not mean that everybody we come across is a rapist, a murderer or a robber.

Likewise, not every maid we come across is hopeless, stupid and will run off with the first man who promises them the moon and the stars.

My family has been extremely fortunate in the maids department. In the past 17 years, we have had four maids. The first two were from the Philippines and worked for four and five years, respectively. The third was from Indonesia and stayed with us for eight good, long years.

Our fourth and current maid arrived from Indonesia a month ago and is still trying to adjust to her new life here.

Sukini is 19-years-old, pleasant, intelligent and learns quickly. However, back in Indonesia, Sukini lived in a house with a dry-mud floor. She had never used electrical appliances nor cooked in her life.

It takes a saint’s patience and a bucketful of understanding to train an employee to do things the way you want them done.

Just like hiring a new employee in the corporate world, it would not be the best to yell and scream at our staff when they do not pick up the skills as quickly as we desire, or when they make a mistake.

Shouting at someone increases their fear and impedes their ability to absorb information. I have been in situations where I am so afraid to make a mistake that I lose my ability to think clearly and end up making more mistakes.

When maids leave everything familiar to them to work in a foreign country, they are equally apprehensive of how their employers will be like. It is also often that we hear stories of employers abusing their maids

Judging from the stories I hear and what I see, I have come to the conclusion that many maids have good intentions but wrong judgments.

For example, my grandfather noticed that for a week or so, the floor outside his room has been consistently wet. My aunt investigated and found that the maid has been diligently watering the fake plant placed there.

My next-door neighbour is so exasperated with his maid; he might get high blood pressure. One of the hospital-inducing incidents was when he cleaned his fish tank and left the sand out. The next morning, he woke up and found that all his sand was in his flowerpots.

Another common trait amongst maids is that they take instructions too literally. Employees would give instructions as to how they themselves would perceive it to be understood, but a maid’s background, culture and thinking are quite different from ours; therefore they would carry out an instruction the way they comprehend it.

My brother’s godfather’s maid drove him up the wall, and before she could drive him out of his own house, he sent her away to retain his sanity. One of the many mind-boggling instances was when he told her wait and to only clean the master bedroom once he and his wife are out of the room.

After that, he would find her waiting outside the bedroom door every morning, clutching the mop and the pail, as still and silent as an apparition. The first time he opened his door and saw her there, he jumped back and nearly had a heart attack.

Then there are the super-maids who seem to be able to anything and everything. My friend’s parents’ maid not only cooks and cleans; she obtained her driving license and is the designated driver when the family travels outstation. She also goes to the bank to pay all their bills.

Teaching a new maid is not unlike teaching a child – we have to spend enough time with them, explain everything in detail and know that mistakes are bound to occur.

Some people are luckier than others when it comes to maids, but like most things in life, luck is just a small part of the big picture, how things turn out depends largely on the decisions that we make.

Hell hath no fury like a first wife scorned

2007-10-07T21:08:00.000+08:00

Some people never learn and they usually pay a heavy price for it. There is a time and place for everything and this guy chose the wrong time and place to do what he did. As one can see here, the lesson can be a rather painful one. Sighhh…….

Read the following article in the NST today:

It never pays to compare wives

JOHOR BARU: Hell hath no fury like a first wife scorned, as an Indonesian man found out when he needed 11 stitches to reattach his almost severed penis.

The incident took place at a kongsi in Taman Pulai Flora in Kangkar Pulai here, when the 43-year-old husband and his 48-year-old first wife were chatting in bed on Saturday night.

For reasons only known to him, the man was comparing his wife’s sexual prowess to that of his newly-wed second wife who is in her 30’s.

It is understood that the first wife was upset with such comparisons. She got out of bed, took a knife and attempted to chop off his penis.

Fortunately for the husband, she only managed to partially cut the man’s member. In shock and pain, the Indonesian contractor managed to put on his pants, mounted his motorcycle and rode to Sultanah Aminah Hospital here.

Doctors managed to reattach his penis and discharged him. He later lodged a police report at the Kangkar Pulai police station.

Nusajaya police chief Superintendent Aziz Ahmad said the woman was picked up after police raided the kongsi.

She will be charged under section 324 of the Penal code for voluntarily causing hurt with a dangerous weapon, an offence that carries a three-year jail term and fine.

Last year, a similar incident occurred in Besut, Terengganu, when a woman sliced off her husband’s penis after she accused him of having an affair.

Eagle probable cause of outage

2007-10-07T21:07:00.001+08:00

The following item is from the NST today. If it is true, then I can sadly say that the eagle has landed. :-((

Pity such a rare and majestic creature should die this way.

SANDAKAN: Wildlife rangers here will be bird watching in the coastal areas with good reason.

A large white bellied sea eagle is believed to have caused a major blackout last week when it struck a conductor at a 33kV tower located on a hill in Batu Sapi.

The bird, which has a wingspan of up to two metres, was electrocuted and in the process disrupted power supply to consumers within a five-km radius in the Batu Sapi and Kamunting areas.

Sabah Wildlife Department chief veterinarian Dr Sen Nathan said yesterday the department would be looking into the report and would likely conduct a survey in the area to gauge the population of the particular eagle.

“This particular coastal eagle normally occupies certain areas in pairs and not in large numbers like most bird species.
“If many are found in ‘risk’ areas, such as where there are power lines or if they are in the way of flight paths, then action that could be taken, including scaring off the birds with gunshots fired in the air,” he said.Sandakan Sabah Electricity Sdn Bhd area manager Magdalene Chu said the blackout occurred around 6.30pm last Thursday. Power was restored after about three hours.
“Witnesses informed us they heard an explosion followed by a fire at the tower. The impact of the fault caused several 33kV lines and many 11kV lines to trip,” she said.

Technicians were promptly mobilised to restore power at all affected substations and a team had tried to find the source of the problem the same night, but this was called off due to heavy rain.

“The following day we found a dead eagle in the vicinity of the tower,” said Chu, adding that it may have flown too close and struck a conductor at the tower.

All Tunku wanted was ‘to mandi’, not Mandy

2007-10-07T21:06:00.000+08:00

Another humorous incident about the Father of the Nation in the NST yesterday:

All Tunku wanted was ‘to mandi’, not Mandy

Reading a reprint of the Aug 26, 1957 edition of ‘The Straits Times’, Sit Hin Kin was reminded of a humorous incident involving Tunku

KUALA LUMPUR: Sit Hin Kin is a great admirer of the Tunku. And like so many people who were acquainted with Tunku Abdul Rahman, he has a humorous story to tell about our first prime minister.

The 71-year-old was reminded of a quirky incident that occurred in London when he came across an article with the headline “Templer (I want bath) flies in” in the reprint of the Aug 26, 1957 edition of The Straits Times.

“In the 1960s, the Tunku visited England at the height of the Christine Keeler scandal. She was a high society call girl, having an affair with the then British war minister, John Profumo, and a Russian naval attache at the same time. She had a good friend named Mandy Rice.

“When our good Tunku arrived at London Airport, our high commissioner asked him what he wanted to do first. The Tunku replied: ‘First, I want mandi.’

“The British reception party stiffened, the polite smiles frozen on their faces. They thought the Tunku wanted Mandy Rice,” he laughed.
Sit, the executive chairman of oil and gas firm Petro-Mekong Corp Sdn Bhd, said he was excited when the New Straits Times distributed reprints of the Aug 26, 1957 to Sept 1, 1957 editions of The Straits Times.The newspapers, reprinted to mark the 50th anniversary of independence, brought back a “flood of memories, especially the advertisements”, said Sit. Pointing to the Gammeters Ltd watch advertisement in one of the old newspapers, he recalled: “I fell in love with the Eterna-Matic watch when I saw it on display in Singapore in 1955. It was the one and only watch that wound and ran on ball bearings. But at $200, I couldn’t afford it,” he said.And by the time he had saved up enough for the watch years later, it was nowhere to be found.
Ten years ago, he chanced upon one in Singapore and purchased it for S$2,000, he said, proudly showing off his rather simple Eterna-Matic.

Sit added that he missed the spirit of unity of the old days.

“Back then, for example, we recognised that our Muslim friends did not eat pork and our Hindu friends did not eat beef. So we separated the food at the table but not the people.

“Today, both people and food have gone into separate corners, and that is very sad.”

Bridging a mate for orang utans

2007-10-07T21:05:00.000+08:00

This article was in the NST today.

I salute the people involved for their dedication and their ingenious innovation.

There sure is a lot of Macgyvers in this world.

Pigtail macaques crossing the Sungai Menanggul with the help of a double-rope bridge. Picture by Edmund Samunting

KOTA KINABALU: It’s a low-tech solution, but it could be just what is needed to prevent inbreeding in the orang utan population.

A conservation group has been stringing rope bridges across rivers to replace the trees they used previously.

The first bridge was built across Sungai Resang more than two years ago, and since then Kampung Sukau villagers attached to the Kinabatangan Orang Utan Conservation Project (KOCP) have built another three links.

One is at Sungai Menanggul, a popular spot for viewing wildlife as visitors travel along Sabah’s longest river, the Kinabatangan.

KOCP co-director Dr Isabelle Lackman-Ancrenaz said the main idea of getting orang utans to cross from one forested area to another was to reduce the risk of inbreeding now that the primate has been separated into small sub-populations as a result of forest degradation.
“It is a cheap and simple way of reducing the possibility of inbreeding among orang utans that live in degraded places. Translocating is another method but it has its problems.”Orang utans may look like solitary animals, but they are part of a well-organised society. Physically moving them to another area may lead to conflicts,” she said.Single rope bridges cost RM3,000, while double rope ones cost RM6,000, with an average length of 60 metres.
KOCP’s bridges are made of chains wrapped with a hose made of a special fabric as regular ropes rot quickly in the humidity, risking the lives of animals.

The rope bridges were also benefiting other animals, she said.

Proboscis monkeys and pigtail macaques, and even reptiles, use the links.

The KOCP was building two more rope bridges in the area, she added.

Surveys show there are about 11,000 orang utan in Sabah and about 60 per cent live outside protected areas.

Drumstick Durian

2007-10-07T21:03:00.000+08:00

I do not know how many of you have seen a durian like the one shown below:

The first time I saw it, I thought “Wow, it looked like a drumstick!”. Of course, out come my trusty Canon to record this image for posterity.

Taste varies from slightly bitter-sweet and creamy (on the “meaty” end) to bland and fibrous nearer to the “bony” end. The “meaty” end is “wong yuk kon pau” taste. I felt rather full after eating this delicious and unusual-shaped fruit. By the way, this pod have only one seed.

Wau Express to Kota Bahru

2007-10-07T21:02:00.000+08:00

Wau Express to Kota Bahru

It was half past seven in the evening of 30th August 2007, the eve of Malaysia’s Golden Jubilee Celebration. Huge crowds were forming at Dataran Merdeka (Independence Square) preparing for the countdown to Malaysia’s 50th Anniversary of Independence. The buildings around this hotspot is decorated and gaily lit with multi-coloured lights.

Unfortunately, me and my better half and son were not in the mood to join the party crowd. We were rushing to catch the 8.30 p.m. Wau Express to Kota Bahru. My BH has an appointment in KB and we tag along for the heck of it. We have to lug our heavy baggage from the Masjid Jamek Station to the Central Market LRT Station because the queue for the tickets stretches all the way from the ticket counters to quarter way up the stairs to the streets above!

We just do not have the time to queue so we lugged our luggage to the next station. We manage to get our tickets almost immediately at the Central Market Station. Although we arrive in time at the Sentral Station, there was only just enough time to ta pau (takeaway) McDonalds and have our dinner on the train.

Below is a photo on the inside of our coach.

We arrived at Gemas Station, Johore about 10 minutes before midnight. At exactly midnight, the blare of the trains’ whistle coupled with the explosions of the fireworks display is enough to wake the devils up (this being the seventh month in the Chinese Lunar Calender).

Of course, I grabbed my trusty Canon and started snapping away from the door of the coach. After a few shots, I decided to move nearer to the display and walked onto the pavement in my bare socks. Didn’t have the time to put on my shoes! The fireworks lasts for about 8 minutes.

Well this is something different. While the rest of the country are enjoying the fireworks in the city, either live or on TV, here a small group of travellers were treated to a memorable fireworks display to mark a historic moment of our nation’s history. Thank you KTM…..Thank you for the memories.

The RAHMAN Prophecy

2007-08-30T16:35:00.001+08:00

What is the RAHMAN Prophecy?

The RAHMAN Prophecy states that the initials of the first six Prime Ministers of Malaysia shall spell out the name “RAHMAN”.

R - Abdul Rahman
A - Abdul Razak
H - Hussein Onn
M - Mahathir Mohamad
A - Abdullah Ahmad Badawi (previously speculated as Anwar)
N - ???

The present Deputy Prime Minister is Mohamad Najib. If and when Dato’ Sri Mohd Najib bin Tun Haji Abdul Razak takes over the Premiership, the pro-RAHMAN Prophecy camp will feel vindicated that the “prophecy” has been fulfilled.

Meanwhile the skeptics are still wondering why Abdul Rahman is represented by the letter “R” while Abdul Razak is represented by the letter “A”.

What do you think??

Merdeka Rehearsal

2007-08-30T16:34:00.000+08:00

Was around Dataran Merdeka (Independence Square) on the morning of 29th August 2007 and happened to witness a lot of colours and movement in the area. Participants in the Golden Anniversary of Malaysia’s Independence were having their full dress rehearsal.

Throngs of local folks, family and friends, nearby office workers as well as tourists from around the globe were mingling and happily snapping photographs of the rehearsal. I joined in the fun and managed to snap some photos of the antique cars that will be on parade on the historic day.

More photos of these antique cars can be viewed at Free Photo Gallery.

Hillary’s ’steel thighs’ cracking American nuts

2007-08-30T16:31:00.000+08:00

New York: A nutcracker in the shape and face of Hillary Clinton is selling like hot cakes in US. And it works really well, says those who are cracking nuts one after the other, using the New York senator doll’s ‘steel thighs’.

The Hillary nutcracker sells for 20 bucks on line at a Manhattan novelty store called la Brea. It’s displayed on the same shelf as the Jesus action figure. The man behind the nutcracker says he’s sold 10-thousand of them.

Those right wing nuts out there better watch out. It works? Oh yea. Just ask Bill who already has one. “The hillary nutcracker seems of pretty good quality, it’s lab tested at 500 cracks,” said one user.

It’s the rare political novelty that those both for and against the candidate appreciate.

Yes, the Hillary nutcracker actually exists. With spring loaded, stainless steel thighs. The Hillary Nutcracker sure cracked up the gang in our breakroom.

“Is that Hillary doll?” Not doll but a nutcracker.

But is it a compliment or insult? “Insult,” said George, a Manhattan resident. “That’s a compliment,” said another. “I think it’s offensive,” said Carol in Alabama. “That is so cool,” said Elina in New Jersey.

Now you’re obviously a two-handed cracker nut. No comment came from the Hillary Clinton campaign. Forget the nutcracker. If bill ever has to be put on a short leash again, at least it could say Hillary

Manned flight using dry cells now possible.

2007-08-25T00:17:00.001+08:00

Found a very interesting item on the net about manned flight using dry cells. The Japanese proved that dry cells can power an aircraft. The original article is in Japanese but I used Google to translate this page into English.

Original URL is http://www.aero.or.jp/record/rec-DryBattery.htm

The manned aircraft for the first time, the marketing single 3 type dry cell batteries (160) by in the world succeeded in flight.
(The commodity) in the Japan Air Lines Co., Ltd. association, because FAI presently regarding the flight record of this type (international aeronautical union) there is no category, stipulation of the human powered aircraft was applied correspondingly at the time of flight, the below-mentioned flight record was recognized on 2006 September 5th.

Generality

Rectilinear ground coverage 391.4m Friend Yutaka Kamiya (Aichi prefecture)

East institute of technology type oxy flier

The saitama prefecture Hiki Gun Kawasima Cho HONDA airport

2006.07.16 <2006.09.05>

Duration of flight 59s (59 seconds) Friend Yutaka Kamiya (Aichi prefecture)

East institute of technology type oxy flier

The saitama prefecture Hiki Gun Kawasima Cho HONDA airport

2006.07.16 <2006.09.05>

Circumstances of official record flight

Single 3 dry cell battery 160 these loading

Dragons in the city

2007-08-25T00:16:00.001+08:00

Spotted this offbeat item in the NST today.

The two monitor lizards that ran wild in the city centre before being caught by a hawker yesterday evening. The reptiles were later taken away by a man and what happened to them after that is not known.

JOHOR BARU: Workers cleaning a drain near the Johor Baru Central police station on Wednesday found more than just rubbish.

When the drain cover was lifted, they discovered two monitor lizards inside.
The animals, measuring about 1.5 metres each, bolted while the workers fled in the 6pm incident.

The lizards roamed free in the city centre for some time, causing a stir among the rush- hour crowd.

Raymond Wong, who works in Singapore, said he spotted the lizards as he was about to go to a money changer.

“I have seen many rats in the city’s back lanes but this was the first time I have come across monitor lizards.

“Luckily, they were not aggressive.”

The lizards were caught by a hawker who tied them to a fence. Soon after, the spot was thronged by passers-by who wanted to take a closer look at the animals.

The hawker, who declined to be named, said the reptiles might have entered the city from the Johor Strait before seeking refuge in the drain.
He later gave away the reptiles to a man.A money changer said the local authority should clean all the drains in the city.”Running through the city centre is the polluted Sungai Segget. I believe the lizards must have entered the drains from the river.”
Monitor lizards are mainly found in burrows built near river banks.

Feeding on crabs, snakes and other small animals, the reptiles run faster than humans as they have powerful leg muscles. A monitor’s bite can be painful as the reptile has powerful jaws.

There goes the neighbourhood

2007-08-23T20:51:00.000+08:00

Giant@Kinrara opens today.

The usually quiet neighbourhood was immediately transformed into a buzzing commercial hotspot with a never-ending stream of vehicles to and fro the newly opened Hypermarket. Cars were parked indiscriminately with some of them double-parking.

Only 2 floors were completely opened with the renovation still going on in the uppermost floor. Things were relatively cheap as there were a lot of promotions going on. Maybank has a branch there and the staff were seen wearing masks and cleaning their workplace when the bank opened for business!

There were bays for ATMs from other banks like RHB Bank, CIMB Bank and Ambank but the machines were NOT installed yet. The bank of machines from Maybank located just outside their branch (ATMs, Cash Deposit Machines, Cheque Deposit Terminals) were however in full operation.

As for the traffic, if the authorities do not do something about the increased traffic volume now, this place is going to be one heck of a congested area.

Of course, the plus side is that the residents now have a Hypermarket within walking distance from their home. However, I’ll bet many of them will still be DRIVING there.

Main Entrance to Hypermarket

Trolleys…………….and more Trolleys………..

Roti Boy Outlet in Giant@Kinrara

Singing In The Rain II

2007-08-23T20:50:00.000+08:00

Continuation of the story of a little bird in Singing In The Rain.

I heard chirping at the back of my house just after the drizzle in the early afternoon. As usual, I quickly grabbed my trusty camera and head for the sound. The bird, most likely the same one as the other day, was resting on the grilles on the balcony. This time I managed to get a better shot of the birdie before it flew off.

Old Malacca, New Malacca

2007-08-23T14:07:00.000+08:00

The 4th item in this series from NST Series The Old & The New

A unique blend of styles

ONE of the first things you notice about Masjid Kampung Kling in Malacca is its roof.

Instead of a traditional dome, its roof is three-tiered, with distinctly curved eaves that are definitely Oriental in nature.

Built in 1748 during the Dutch occupation, it is one of the oldest mosques in the country.

Located in Malacca’s busy Jalan Tukang Emas, the mosque is one of the must-visit places in the city.

Another interesting architectural feature is the minaret, which was built entirely of masonry in contrast to the timber mosque building. Some people think it looks like a Chinese pagoda.

Chinese ceramic tiles adorn the roof, the floor and the lower walls of the mosque.

Then there are the European touches like the rendered plaster on the internal masonry walls, and the Portuguese and British glazed tiles on the walls of the main prayer hall.

The different styles found in this mosque here speak of the many influences in early Malacca, which was a major trading port from the 14th to the 18th century.

In 1868, a high wall was built to protect the mosque and its minaret from the street.

Today, not much seems to have changed except for the cars which have replaced the rickshaws (above picture taken in the early 1930s) on the street.

Causeway - then and now

2007-08-23T14:05:00.000+08:00

Yet another comparison between then and now in the NST Series on The Old & The New

The hustle and bustle never stops

THE above picture, taken in 1959, is how most of us remember the Causeway.
Choked with traffic. That particular year, the jamwas due to a ruling that all travellers entering the federation from Singapore must be vaccinated against smallpox.

Completed in 1924 and spanning 1,056 metres, the Causeway was the first land link between the two countries.

It was built with road and rail links and also bears vital water pipes to Singapore. (By the way, the first water agreement was signed in 1927.) Not many people knowthis but the link was partially severed in 1942 during WorldWar Two to prevent the Japanese from invading Singapore.

Rebuilt once the Japanese captured Singapore, the Causeway was closed once more in 1964 for about five days because of the race riots that year.

Since then, the constant traffic congestion resulted in the construction of a Second Link in 1998. Today, the Causeway is still as busy — as we can see from the second picture taken just days ago — but the burden is now shared with the second bridge.

Is this the Stadhuys??

2007-08-23T14:04:00.000+08:00

Another interesting writeup in the NST series on The Old & The New

As pretty as a picture

IT’S red so it has to be part of the famous Stadhuys right? Wrong!

This building, which is next to the Stadhuys, was built by the British in 1931.

And everybody knows the Stadhuys is Dutch and built in the 1650s.

The site though was originally occupied by Dutch homes, but when the British came, they built some administrative buildings in their place.

This red building in Jalan Laksamana was originally the General Post Office (above picture taken in the 1950s), but it is now the Malacca Art Gallery.

Oldest Mosque in Malaysia

2007-08-23T14:03:00.000+08:00

From the NST series on The Old & The New

Looks the same after 279 years

DRIVING past this mosque in Malacca, you may not realise that it is actually 279 years old. In fact, Masjid Kampung Hulu is the oldest functioning mosque in Malaysia in its original location (at the corner of Jalan Masjid Kampung Hulu and Jalan Masjid).

Interestingly, the mosque was commissioned by the Dutch as part of their multi-religious policy.

Before them, the Portuguese had ordered the destruction of all signs of non-Christian establishments.

This included the tearing down of Malacca’s first mosque.

And true to its multi-cultural intent, the style of the mosque has the characteristics of a Javanese mosque with its three layers of flared pyramidal roofs.

But unlike traditional Javanese mosques, Masjid Kampung Hulu does not have timber walls. Instead, they are made of stone and brick.

Also, like other mosques found in Malacca, you will find Chinese ornamentation like the crown-like pinnacle surmounting the roofs, ceramic roof and floor tiles from the Qing Dynasty and the stone minaret with its pagoda-like form.

Another distinctive feature of Masjid Kampong Hulu is its use of carved sea stones lining the inside of the dome.

The two pictures, taken 70 years apart, show a mosque that seems to have remained largely unchanged, except maybe for the kind of traffic it sees these days.

Doggone it! The medals are going to the dogs!

2007-08-21T14:39:00.000+08:00

This article on the Lucky dogs appeared in the NST today.

Lucky and Flo honoured after piracy-busting stint

By : Nisha Sabanayagam

Flo (left) and Lucky, with their medals, were feted at a Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry party.

PUTRAJAYA:

Lucky and Flo yesterday became the first dogs to be honoured by the government.

They were awarded commendation medals for outstanding service in the detection of counterfeit optical discs.

The medals were in recognition of the dogs’ five-month “stint” with the Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry’s anti-piracy unit since March.

Deputy Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Datuk S. Veerasingam pre-sided over the ceremony yesterday.

He said their keen sense of smell had led to the seizure of about 1.6 million pirated discs.
“With Lucky and Flo, we managed to make seizures in places we would not have thought of going into or could not have gone into.”The seizures had a face value of RM22.8 million. Twenty-six people were also arrested.Motion Picture Association (MPA) director of operation for Asia-Pacific region, Edward Neubronner, and ministry officers also attended the event.Lucky and Flo, which were brought to Malaysia by the MPA, leave for the US on Thursday before returning home to Ireland.The two are the world’s first dogs trained to identify optical discs by scent.Their successful stint in Malaysia has made international headlines in major newspapers, including the International Herald Tribune, Times of India and Gulf Times. The Daily Mail in the United Kingdom carried the report of the RM100,000 bounty on the dogs, which incurred the outrage of the British public.Various online newspapers, such as news.bbc.co.uk and Washingtonpost.com, have also highlighted the canines’ work in Malaysia.
Veerasingam said despite the ministry’s commitment to eradicating piracy, it could only be wiped out if the public stopped buying illegal copies of movies.

“We need the people’s support. Piracy can kill other legitimate businesses, not just the motion picture industry.”

The success of Lucky and Flo has led the ministry to set up its own K-9 unit.

U. Thiva, one of the handlers, said Lucky and Flo were special.

“There is something about them — everyone really likes them,” he said.

Invitation to Blog on this site

2007-08-21T14:37:00.000+08:00

Invitation to Blog on this site

Bloggers or anyone keen to write on anything about Malaysia are invited to email me (jam@webbiz2u.com).

If you love to write on “Malaysiana”, or anything you think is funny, interesting or educational, please drop me a line. Sharing a Blog would be much more fun and interesting than doing it Solo.

Please note that this site is a mirror site for the one located at:

http://webbiz2u.com/JAM

National Flag on gate

2007-08-19T17:57:00.000+08:00

Around this time, patriotism manifests itself in many forms. One is the waving, flying and display of the national flag.

Flags are normally hung from windows, walls, attached to cars, fence etc. But a patriotic residence of Bandar Kinrara, Puchong up the ante and has painted the National Flag on his front sliding gate.

Merdeka! Merdeka! Merdeka!

Singing In The Rain

2007-08-19T01:56:00.001+08:00

Immediately after the afternoon shower today, I heard the chirping of birds at the back of our house. As I look out the balcony, I saw a bird chirping away nosily. It was drenched but it doesn’t seemed to mind and the scene reminded me of the song Singing In The Rain.

So I grabbed my camera and managed to fire a couple of shots. The bird immediately flew off.

‘Blackmail’ forced Tunku’s hand

2007-08-19T01:53:00.000+08:00

Continuing with the countdown to our nation’s 50th Anniversary of Independence, the NST today published an item on the Father of Malaysia, Tunku Abdul Rahman. Those who are interested in the history of our nation should find this article interesting.

Tunku Ahmad Nerang points to himself as a boy in an old family portrait, with his grandparents Sultan Abdul Hamid Halim Shah of Kedah and Che Manjalara (seated), his father Tunku Abdul Rahman and his sister, Tunku Khadijah at the old palace in Alor Star.

The Tunku spent more time in politics than with his family. The nation was the first love of the country’s first prime minister. Tunku Ahmad Nerang talks to SONIA RAMACHANDRAN about what it was like being the son of a statesman

TUNKU Abdul Rahman Putra Al-Haj was a reluctant politician.

According to his son, Tunku Ahmad Nerang, the first prime minister refused the post of Umno president in 1951 when Datuk Onn Jaafar stepped down.

Apparently, Tun Abdul Razak had asked him to take over but the Tunku was adamant. The Tunku only relented after Utusan Melayu’s Melan Abdullah (later Tan Sri) threatened to publish the headline Tunku mungkir janji pada rakyat (Tunku reneges on his promise to the people).

This was because he had promised in 1946, before leaving for England to complete his law course, that he would return and fight for independence when he passed his exams.”My father asked Melan to give him a month. After two months of waiting, Melan went to see Tunku. The Tunku asked for another month.”When that too was up, a fed-up Melan went to see him again and said he had no choice but to publish an article with the heading, Seorang Anak Raja Tidak Mahu Membela Rakyat ( A prince does not want to fight for the people).”

The Tunku then said that he would consider the request on one condition — that he had the total support of Umno and that it would be full independence and nothing less.

“He felt independence under British protection would only benefit a few and not the masses,” Tunku Nerang, 74, said. What probably clinched it for the Tunku were the “voices” he heard in court in Alor Star one day.

“He heard voices calling out ‘Putra’, the name his father, Sultan Abdul Hamid Halim Shah of Kedah, used to call him.

“Tunku couldn’t see anyone calling him. All he could hear were voices,” Tunku Nerang said.

After the case was over, the Tunku went to his father’s room in the old palace nearby, sat in his father’s rattan rocking chair and fell asleep.

“He then dreamt that his father had said, ‘Putra, belalah rakyat (Putra, fight for the people). Tunku woke up then but since he was very tired, he fell asleep again.

“This time it was Indian nationalist Mahatma Gandhi and former Indian prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru who he saw in his dreams,” said Tunku Nerang.

His father, he said, took this as a sign that it was time for him to do something. He left Alor Star by car and arrived in Kuala Lumpur at 1am.

He went straight to Melan’s house in Kampung Baru and told him to see him the next day.

Melan did — and the Tunku told him that he would accept the post of Umno president.

“And that was how my father, proposed by Bahaman Samsudin (the late Tan Sri who was minister of justice) and seconded by Melan, was voted in as the president of Umno to replace Onn at the Majestic Hotel Roof Garden in 1951.”

Like the British aristocracy, Tunku Nerang was also expected to enter the military. So in 1954, he was sent to India to enrol in the Military Academy in Derahdun.

That was how he came to fly the Malayan flag at the Malayan High Commission in New Delhi on Aug 31, 1957. Also present at the ceremony were Nehru and his daughter, Indira Gandhi.

“I was very proud to raise the flag, as it had the markings of a full and truly independent country, not a British protectorate, besides the fact that independence was achieved without the shedding of a drop of blood,” he said.

That wasn’t the only occasion that Tunku Nerang raised the country’s flag. On Sept 16, 1963, he once again raised the flag, but this time it was at Stadium Merdeka — and the flag was the Malaysian flag.

In December 1958, Tunku Nerang returned to Malaya and joined the Federation Regiment where he remained until 1967, when he opted out for a career in business.

“My rank was that of captain when I resigned. They offered me the rank of major but I refused. My father was very disappointed as he wanted me to continue serving the nation.

“He disapproved of my venturing into business as he believed business and politics should not mix.” Since he was the prime minister, he did not want me in business at all. He believed the mixing of politics and business would lead to abuse. He believed one should never enter politics to make money.” This principle was something Tunku lived and died by, said his son. Tunku was a rich man when he entered politics, owning rubber estates and shop houses in Penang and Alor Star, most of which he sold to finance Umno and to win independence.”

After being in politics for 15 years, my father ended up much poorer than when he entered politics.”I am very proud of my father as a leader, but as a father, he never had time for me and my sister, Tunku Khadijah.”

Tunku Nerang’s mother, Mariam Chong, was Tunku Abdul Rahman’s first wife. She died of typhoid and malaria a month after he was born in Kuala Nerang in 1933.

“The Kuala Nerang people’s dialect was such that they would look at the full moon when it was bright and say, ‘amat nerang’.

“So my father decided to name me Tunku Amat Nerang. He said I was supposed to be very bright.” But Tunku Nerang was not fond of that name as the Chinese at that time would call their drivers, Amat. “So when I was 12, I changed my name to Tunku Ahmad Nerang in my identification card.”

Tunku Nerang used to drive his father around while he was campaigning for the federal elections. He recalls an incident in 1953, when after a long and tiring day of campaigning, a hungry Tunku and Tunku Nerang returned home past midnight to find nothing in the house to eat. I searched the kitchen and all I could find was one egg. I boiled it and then I went to my father’s room and knocked on the door. He opened it and asked me what had happened.

“I told him I had searched the kitchen and found one egg which I had boiled. I told him I had cut it in half and that he could have one half. Tears rolled down his face and he patted my head and told me I could have the whole egg,” he said. Tunku Nerang’s wife, Datin Liliana Nerang, described the Tunku as special in many ways.

“My father-in-law had a way about him. When he talked to you, he would make you feel very special. We would chat about everything, from football to current affairs,” said the retired lawyer.

Added her husband: “This year we are celebrating 50 years of independence. I hope and pray that all the races in Malaysia will live together in peace and harmony, something which my father really cherished and believed in all his life.”

Merdeka stamps galore

2007-08-19T01:51:00.000+08:00

In less than 2 weeks we will be celebration the 50th Anniversary of our nation’s birthday. Around this time, there are many articles relating to this event being published in the local media. One of them is on the Malaysian stamps issued pertaining to Merdeka and The Star today has an article about this exhibition at the Penang Museum.

Just wondering why a similar exhibition is not held in Kuala Lumpur. After all, this is the nation’s capital and the bulk of the collectors are based here. Over to you, Pos Malaysia.

Merdeka stamps galore

PENANG: An array of first-day covers and stamps released to commemorate Merdeka on Aug 31, 1957 are being displayed at the Penang Museum.

The historic stamps and covers, some from private collections, will be exhibited for a month on the first floor of the double-storey museum in conjunction with the 50th Merdeka Anniversary Philatelic Exhibition 2007.

Engrossed: Visitors John van Langeveld and his daughter Linda admiring some of the Merdeka collections at the museum yesterday.

“Although the covers and stamps are not rare collections, we felt that the exhibition is meaningful because most of the younger generation did not have the opportunity to see the commemorative stamps released 50 years ago,” said one of the exhibitors, Lim Ken Beng, who has 30 official Merdeka Day covers and 50 unofficial covers.

Two of his framed official Merdeka Day covers are displayed at the museum.

“The most important collection is the Merdeka Day cover with official cover bearing the government emblem,” said Lim, an engineering manager who started collecting stamps about 30 years ago.

The exhibition is jointly organised by the Penang Museum and Penang Philatelic Society, and sponsored by Pos Malaysia Bhd.

The society’s oldest active member Abdul Salaam Mohd Anver said the 10-cent Malaya stamp bearing the portrait of Tunku Abdul Rahman was now worth RM6.

“The original cover could cost about RM100 each,” he said.

Moving House

2007-08-16T19:08:00.000+08:00

Spotted this moving item in the NST today:
This is gotong-royong at its best!

Moving home: When most of us move house, we pack our furniture and household items and hire a lorry to take them to the new location. But farmer Abu Hasan Ahmad was so attached to his home, he decided to take the whole house with him when he had to move. “We have lived at the old site for more than 20 years, but now we want to be closer to my mother-in-law to take care of her.” The 56- year-old padi farmer said several village elders got about 150 villagers to help with the “big move“. Besides helping to carry the house half-a-kilometre to the new site, the villagers also took part in a gotong-royong to clear the land at the new location. It took over an hour to move the house. — NST picture by Rahmat Othman

Rare Solar Halo over Langkawi

2007-08-07T14:40:00.000+08:00

Spotted this interesting report about a rare natural phenomenon in the NST today.

LANGKAWI, MON:

The sudden appearance of a solar halo (also known as the parhelic circle) above the skies of Langkawi today caught the attention of participants at the Langkawi International Dialogue (LID) as well as members of the media.

Dozens of photographers covering LID hurriedly snapped away at the halo encircling the sun at about 2.40 pm, before it disappeared about 20 minutes later.

The photographers were not the only ones captivated by the phenomenon.
Works Minister Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu, who is here attending LID, was also among the crowd of onlookers admiring the rare sight.

This phenomenon similar to a rainbow, except it is formed by the refraction of sunlight through ice crystals, instead of raindrops suspended in the air. The ice crystals are from cirrus clouds and have to be of the type with a large radius for the phenomenon to take place.

There must also be no wind and the sun has to be at an altitude of less than 34 degrees for the halo to to occur.

Living Fossil Caught

2007-08-04T12:51:00.000+08:00

Found this very interesting news item in the BBC News today.

Imagine a creature that survives 350 million years virtually unchanged!!

Fisherman catches ‘living fossil’

An extremely rare “living fossil” caught by a fisherman in Indonesia is being examined by scientists.

The 1.3m-long (4.3ft), 50kg (110lb) coelacanth is only the second ever to have been captured in Asia and has been described as a “significant find”. An autopsy and genetic tests are now being carried out to determine more about the specimen.

Coelacanths provide researchers with a window into the past; their fossil record dates back 350 million years.

These fish are odd in appearance, looking almost as if they have legs because of their large-lobed fins - they are sometimes dubbed “old four legs”. The blue fish can also perform headstands, hovering with their head just over the sea floor, possibly to detect food.

Scientists previously thought the fish group had died out about 70 million years ago, but were shocked when in 1938 a species was caught in a fishing net off the east coast of Africa.

Since then, more than 300 of the modern coelacanth species (Latimeria chalumnae) have been found in the waters around the Comoros Islands, which are situated in the Western Indian Ocean, and the eastern coast of Africa.

Their unusual fins make the fish look like they have legs

However, scientists were surprised once again when a coelacanth was discovered thousands of kilometres away in Indonesia in 1998.

It looked similar to the coelacanths found near Africa, but genetic analysis revealed that the genomes differed by about 3.5%, and it was described as a new species called Latimeria menadoensis.

Peter Forey, a coelacanth expert at the Natural History Museum, London, said: “When the Indonesian coelacanth turned up in 1998, lots of people went out to look for more around this area, but nobody ever saw anything until now.

“The fact that another specimen has been found is significant; it confirms that this is a genuine location for another coelacanth’s population.”

A fearsome catch

Justinus Lahama, an Indonesian fisherman, caught the fish two months ago off the coast near Manado, on northern Sulawesi Island.

He told AFP news agency: “It was an enormous fish. It had phosphorescent green eyes and legs.

“If I had pulled it up during the night, I would have been afraid and I would have thrown it back in.”

Justinus Lahama caught the fish

He took the catch back to the port where it remained alive for 17 hours in a netted pool outside of a restaurant. It was then frozen and is now being examined by scientists.

Genetic fingerprinting tests to be carried out by an international team of scientists will confirm if it is the same species as the coelacanth found in 1998.

The tests, said Dr Forey, could also help to reveal more about how and why the two species exist thousands of kilometres apart.

“The fact that the two populations are separated by this enormous gap of thousands of miles begs the question of how long ago and why they separated,” he said.

“Estimates from the genetic fingerprinting carried out on the fish caught in 1998 suggest that they separated about four to five million years ago, however if you look at the geology of the oceans, it suggests that they should have separated about 30 million years ago.

“More sequences taken from this new fish will help us to calibrate these estimates.”

Various efforts to conserve these ancient fish are underway. They are considered to be endangered and are protected by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).

On Wednesday, another group of scientists announced that they had discovered a 400-million-year-old fossil of a coelacanth fin.

The find was reported in the journal Evolution and Development.

Researchers from the University of Chicago said it had been excavated from sediments at Beartooth Butte in northern Wyoming and would reveal more about the evolution of the creatures.

Cowboy Town, A Famosa, Malacca

2007-08-04T12:48:00.000+08:00

Spent last weekend at A Famosa, a well known resort in Malacca, courtesy of my employer.

This resort has 4 Theme Parks namely Cowboy Town, Outdoor Theme Park, Water World and Animal World. Besides the theme parks, there are other recreational facilities available like, Fishing, Archery, Go Kart, Horse Riding, Paintball War Games and Microlight Flying.

We had dinner in Cowboy Town and were greeted at the entrance by a company of dancing cowboys and cowgirls.

Dinner was of course a buffet affair and after dinner showtime!

The show started off with a fiery hot Red Indian Show.

This was followed by an Animal Parade and parade of dancers, lighted “floats” and other costumed characters.

During the parade some of the staff were offering the audience the opportunity of having their pictures taken with an albino python, a tiger cub and a parrot. The service is free, if you do not want the photograph. If you want to keep the photo as a momento of your visit, it will cost you up to RM21 for the photo (It comes together with a preprinted folder).

The show of course ended with a bang, a couple of minutes worth of fireworks display!

More info : www.afamosa.com

Malaysian English a.k.a. Manglish

2007-07-24T21:12:00.000+08:00

English is the most “internationalised” language in the world, a language which changes with the locale where it is spoken. In Malaysia, the variant is known as Manglish.

A short comparison of both “regular” English and Manglish is given below.

WHEN GIVING A CUSTOMER BAD NEWS
Britons : I’m sorry, Sir, but we don’t seem to have the sweater you want in your size but if you give me a moment, I can call other oulets for you.
Malaysians: Sorry, No stock!!

RETURNING A CALL
Britons : Hello, this is John Smith. Did anyone page for me a few moments ago?
Malaysians : Hallo, who page?

ASKING SOMEONE TO MAKE WAY
Britons : Excuse me, I’d like to get by. Would you please make way?
Malaysians : S-kew me

WHEN SOMEONE OFFERS TO PAY
Britons : Hey, put your wallet away, this drinks is on me.
Malaysians : Wei… No need lah..

WHEN ASKING FOR PERMISSION
Britons : Excuse me, but do you think it would possible for me to enter through this door?
Malaysians : (pointing the door) Can arr?

WHEN ENTERTAINING

Britons : Please make yourself right at home.
Malaysians : Aiya.. Dont be shy lah!!

WHEN DOUBTING SOMEONE
Britons : I don’t recall you giving me the money.
Malaysians : Where got?

WHEN DECLINING AN OFFER
Britons : I’d prefer not to do that, if you don’t mind.
Malaysians: Doe- waan la..

IN DISAGREEING ON A TOPIC OF DISCUSSION
Britons : Err. sir, i’ve to stop you here. I understand where you’re coming from but i really have disagree with what you said about the issue.
Malaysians : You mad, ah?

WHEN ASKING SOME ONE TO LOWER THEIR VOICE
Britons : Excuse me, but could you please lower your voice. I’m trying to concentrate over here.
Malaysians : Wooi.. Shaddap lah!!

WHEN ASKING SOMEONE IF HE /SHE KHOWS YOU
Britons : Excuse me, but i noticed you staring at me for sometime. Do i know you?
Malaysians: See what? See What?

WHEN ASSESSING A TIGHT SITUATION
Britons : We seem to be in a bit of a predicament at the moment!
Malaysians : Aiya.. die lah!!!

WHEN TRYING TO FIND OUT WHAT HAD HAPPENED
Britons : Will someone tell me what has just happened?
Malaysians : Wat happen? Why lai dat????

WHEN SOME ONE DID SOMETHING WRONG
Britons : This isn’t the way to do it. Here let me show you.
Malaysians : Aiyah!!!, lai dat also doe no how to do!!!!!

WHEN ONE IS ANGRY
Britons : Would you mind not disturbing me!
Malaysians : Celaka u!!

Smile…….. :-)

SHOCKING PUNISHMENT over a sanitary pad

2007-07-22T18:15:00.000+08:00

Spotted this item in NST today.

I think the warden went overboard and should be boarded out.

This form of extreme punishment should no longer be tolerated in a modern society.

The students enduring their punishment in the muddy pond. — Picture courtesy of Borneo Post

KUCHING: Two hundred schoolgirls of a boarding school were forced to squat, neck-deep, in a murky pond after a used sanitary pad was found in a toilet bowl.

The girls were in the pond for an hour during heavy rain while the warden, who meted out the punishment, stood under an umbrella to supervise the punishment.

The punishment, which was described as “improper”, is being investigated by the Education Ministry.

The shocking event at SMK Bawang Assan was captured on camera by the school’s parent-teacher association chairman Jimmy Kiu at 5pm on Wednesday.

Seeing Kiu taking photographs, the warden ordered the girls out of the pond.

By then, several of them complained of itchiness and rashes. Several were also reportedly ill after the incident.

Kiu claimed none of the school officials came to check the situation despite these complaints.

Most of the 500 students in Form One to Five are from the interior areas of Sungei Pasin, Batang Lassa, Nanga Singat, Sungei Lengang, Sungei Belangan and Tanjung Bekakap.

The students from the co-ed school go home on weekends.

“This kind of punishment is inhumane. And it is all over a used sanitary pad in a toilet bowl,” Kiu said.

“The water in the pond is dirty as waste from the canteen flows straight into it.”

A school official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the warden decided to punish all the female students after no one owned up to leaving the used pad in the toilet bowl.

“I think the warden was angry as it is expensive to fix a clogged toilet,” Kiu said.

Sarawak Teachers’ Union president William Ghani Bina expressed his uneasiness with the disciplinary measure applied by the warden.

“The warden’s intentions may have been good, but she should have followed the guidelines on disciplining students,” William said.

“Teachers are humans, too. This warden may have gone overboard in instilling discipline.”

William did not, however, put all the blame on the warden.

He said the student concerned should also take responsibility.

“This incident would not have occurred if school regulations were followed. There are proper bins to dispose of used sanitary pads.”

Sibu deputy police chief Superintendent Zamani Hamdan said they had yet to receive any report over the incident.

Misleading Advertisement by McDonald???

2007-07-21T17:06:00.001+08:00

I was having a McValue Meal (Fish) at the IOI outlet a couple of hours ago and something strikes me as odd. In all the pictures of this product I have seen the fish patty and burger is ALWAYS shown with a full slice of cheese. But the one I was eating has only a HALF slice in it.

Thinking back, I realised that for the past few months, the McFillet Burgers has always been served with only half a slice of cheese. I remember it USED to be served with a full slice.

Now don’t get me wrong. I am NOT a cheese fanatic and I do not mind the burger being served with only half a slice. But then shouldn’t the images of the product be shown with only a half slice instead of a full slice?

I’ve ate at a few of their outlets here in Kuala Lumpur and they are all the same; only half a slice whereas the pictures in the advertisement panels show a full slice. Wonder if it is the same throughout the country or even the world?

Can someone clarify whether this constitute false/misleading advertisement?

On a slightly different subject, on one occasion, a small cockroach emerge from under the table just after just after I finished a McFillet Burger. I grabbed my camera a took a couple of shots of the cockroach. A picture of this cockroach is shown below.

Big M should really be more conscious of the cleanliness of its outlets.

Three Legged Chicken

2007-07-21T17:03:00.000+08:00

Spotted this unusual item in the NST today:

FOWL SURPRISE: Chicken trader Shaharnizam Abdul Rahman (right), 32, got the shock of his life when he discovered that a rooster he was about to slaughter had three legs. He had bought the 2.5kg rooster among 30 chickens from a farmer in Guar Chempedak six months ago for rearing. When he caught the rooster to slaughter last week, he realised that it had a third leg, which was the same size as the other two. “I was offered up to RM800 to part with the rooster but decided against it. I consider it a gift from God,” he said, while his friend, Mohd Zaudi Mohd Hashim, looked on. — NST picture by Rahmat Othman.

Student needs Viagra to survive

2007-07-20T22:50:00.000+08:00

Spotted this heart-wrenching story in the Star today.

So, Pfizer, have a heart and spare some small change to ease the pain of a young girl?

Student needs Viagra

BUTTERWORTH: For the past one year, Florentina Usun George has been taking Viagra daily, not for the wrong reason but to treat her ASD Pulmonary Hypertension ailment.

The 21-year-old student of Cosmopoint College in Penang needs two Viagra tablets, at RM40 each, daily to keep her going.

Medical problem: Florentina showing a doctor’s letter stating that she has ASD Pulmonary Hypertension at the Penang Umno complaints bureau in Butterworth yesterday. With her are Linda (left) and Farah.

“Without the medicine, I will experience chest pain, breathing difficulty and (feel) weak. It is really painful and I cannot concentrate on my studies,” said the second-year Computer Graphics student.

Florentina, from Miri, Sarawak, said she was diagnosed with the disease when she went for a medical check-up at University Malaya Medical Centre in March last year.

She was told to take Viagra daily to maintain her blood pressure level.

A doctor who declined to be named said Viagra could reduce the pressure on the right side of Florentina’s heart which was high.

The doctor said Viagra was initially introduced for hypertension but it was later found that it could also help patients with erectile dysfunction.

Florentina’s former lecturer Farah Nuzaily Zakaria, 27, said she had taken her to the National Heart Institute in Kuala Lumpur and Island Hospital in Penang, and again was told Florentina had to take Viagra to live.

“We were told that Viagra was the cheapest medication that could help improve her condition,” she said during a press conference held at the Umno Public Complaints Bureau office in Butterworth yesterday.

Forentina’s younger sister, Linda Livan George, 20, is working at a fast food restaurant in Penang to help buy the medication.

Those who wish to help Florentina can send out their cheques made payable to Biro Pengaduan Umno, Tingkat 2, Bangunan Mahkamah Munisipal MPSP, Lorong Kg Jawa, Jalan Bagan Luar, 12000 Butterworth. They should write Florentina’s name on the back of their cheques.

First the Porsche then the Mercs

2007-07-20T22:46:00.000+08:00

First the Porsche gets stolen from the showroom.

Then it gets stolen again from the Police Station!

Now another expensive car gets stolen from another showroom of the same company!

What next!???

Story from NST dated today

Man steals Mercedes from Naza showroom

PETALING JAYA: A smartly-dressed man sped off in a Mercedes Benz E200 worth RM500,000 from the Naza World showroom located along the Federal Highway here yesterday.

The man got into the car after a salesman had moved it out of the showroom, leaving the key in the ignition. The thief then drove away.

Several security guards tried to stop him but he sped off and missed hitting the guards by centimetres in the 4pm incident.

District police chief ACP Mazlan Mansor said the showroom did not have closed-circuit television cameras, adding that police were investigating whether the theft could have been an inside job.

At press time, the black luxury car was still reported to be missing.

Meanwhile, in George Town, police investigation into the security breach at its Seberang Prai Tengah district headquarters on Monday night, where a man drove off in a RMmillion Porsche, will be completed in two days.

State police chief Datuk Koh Hong Sun said the night sentries on duty had given their statements.

He also said that none of the personnel on duty had been suspended.

The car was found abandoned near Maktab Perguruan Tuanku Bainun in Mengkuang.

Freak Malaysian $5 Currency Note

2007-07-19T23:14:00.001+08:00

I guess not many of you have seen a freak Malaysian currency note.

I do have one in my possession and the note is shown below.

See if you can detect what is so “freaky” about this note.

For those who still cannot see what is wrong with the note above, the serial number at the top left corner differs from that of the bottom right corner.

Stolen Porsche stolen again!

2007-07-18T13:38:00.000+08:00

This bizarre story about a stolen Porsche keeps getting better and better!

Porsche stolen again

By M. SIVANANTHA SHARMA

BUKIT MERTAJAM: The RM963,000 sports car that was stolen from a showroom here yesterday was stolen again – this time from right under the noses of the police.

And police believe it was the same man who pulled it off again, because he had the car keys.

The thief stole the Porsche 911 Targa 4 from the compound of the police headquarters here at 10.45pm yesterday.

The car had been stolen from a showroom at Auto-City in Juru about nine hours earlier.

Police recovered the car an hour near Maktab Tuanku Bainun in Mengkuang Titi, about 15km away. But this time, unlike in the first incident, the car had fuel.

State police chief Deputy Comm Datuk Koh Hong Sun said disciplinary action would be taken against policemen who were found to be negligent in their duties.

“We have the suspect’s fingerprints and are confident of arresting him soon,” he said after attending a ceremony for the transfer of 42 police personnel from the North Seberang Prai district to the Central Seberang Prai district at the police headquarters.

In the first incident, the man, said to be smartly dressed man who flashed a cheque book, coolly asked for the key of the car, started it and sped off after crashing it through the showroom’s glass pane.

Police recovered the car some 2km away, at Hujung Perusahaan Dua in Prai.

How Not to steal a Porsche

2007-07-17T23:29:00.001+08:00

This botched auto theft was reported in the Star today.

It reminds me of the adage “Those who fail to plan, plan to fail”!!

Porsche thief forgets to ‘fill her up’

BUKIT MERTAJAM: Flashing a cheque book, a smartly-dressed man coolly asked for the keys to a sports car at a showroom here yesterday.

He got into the RM963,000 Porsche 911 Targa 4, started the engine, and to the horror of the salespersons there, crashed the car through the showroom’s glass pane and drove off at top speed.

But he had not factored in one thing – fuel. The car ran out of petrol just 2km away and police found the car within 30 minutes at Hujung Perusahaan Dua in Prai.

Dead end: Police officers looking at the Porsche that was found abandoned at Hujung Perusahaan Dua in Prai yesterday.

A salesgirl, who declined to be named, said the man, who wore a suit, came into the showroom at about 1.50pm, holding a cheque book as he viewed the car.

“He then asked for the keys to start the engine. Before I knew it, he drove the car through the glass pane and sped off,” she said.

Proof there is Cash in Trash

2007-07-17T23:28:00.000+08:00

I’ve always maintained that there is Cash in Trash and this article proves I’m right!

River dirt yields rich pickings

By : Jason Gerald John and Norfaisal Jahuri

Portuguese and Dutch era coins that Raffiee Mohd Najeer and his friends have dug up.

MALACCA: They are four men, growing RM500 richer by the day from the things they sell.

Things they have neither bought nor made, but scavenged.

They call themselves treasure hunters. The real McCoy.

And the treasures they seek are real enough: Old coins, bits and pieces of porcelain and other antiquities from the era of the Malacca sultanate as well as the Portuguese, Dutch and British colonial period.

Their raiding ground is a spot on the river bank of the Sungai Melaka near Jalan Kilang where a 30m-high pile of river dirt has accumulated, courtesy of the contractors beautifying the river.

Unlike the archaeologists and tomb raiders shown on TV, the four men, led by Raffiee Mohd Najeer, 37, are armed only with ladles and their method is drama-free. For the past few days, Raffiee and his friends have been climbing the mound of dirt to comb for treasure.

“Rain or shine, we are here. We saw the pile of sedimentation and decided to try our luck. We did not expect to hit jackpot,” said Raffiee.

“The first coin we found was from the sultanate era. The coin was well-preserved; the writings on it still visible. We sold it to an unknown collector.

“Since then, we have discovered coins from the Portuguese era, about 500 years old, and also those used by the Dutch East India Company (Vereenigde Oostindische Compagnie or VOC in old-spelling Dutch), which are about 400 years old.”

The VOC was established in 1602, when the states-general of the Netherlands granted it a 21-year monopoly to carry out colonial activities in Asia.

It was the first multinational corporation in the world and the first company to issue stock. It remained an important trading concern for almost two centuries until it became bankrupt and was formally dissolved in 1800.

“There are also unique coins the size of our 50-sen coin, but with a hole in the middle. Each has Arabic words inscribed, which I am unable to decipher,” Raffiee said.

He and his friends also collect old metal pieces and other antiques, which they sell to interested buyers.

50 Years of Kuala Kangsar “Pau”s

2007-07-17T23:26:00.000+08:00

Never knew Kuala Kangsar has this gastronomic secret. Must make it a point to drop by with my makan kaki sometime.

Original article in NST 16th July 2007.

50 years of eating outlets: They travel far and wide for this ‘pau’

By : M. HUSAIRY OTHMAN

Chong Cheen Yee is the third generation to run Yut Loy, famed for its ‘pau’ that comes in four flavours. — NST pictures by Jamah Nasri

Mention Kuala Kangsar and one of the first things that comes to mind is Malay College Kuala Kangsar. But when MCKK students reminisce about their alma mater, what comes to their memory is a little restaurant called Yut Loy, as M. HUSAIRY OTHMAN discovers

Megat Mohd Shahrin Hamdan says Yut Loy is a students’ meeting place (right),Azemi Zainol Abdin says ‘pau’ like this is not available elsewhere (left)

IT is almost a ritual for former Malay College Kuala Kangsar students Megat Mohd Shahrin Mohamed Hamdan and Hussein Mohd Ariff.

Their annual old boys’ reunion is incomplete if they do not drop by at Yut Loy.

“It’s a great place to catch up with your seniors and juniors and exchange hilarious stories about the time when we were students,” said Megat Mohd Shahrin, 38, who is a a television producer.

He remembers the days when the “naughty” ones would stroll into the shop and head upstairs via the wooden staircase for a quick cigarette or two.

“It was worth the risk. Of course, once in a while, a few would get caught by prefects for smoking and being in an out-of-bounds area.”It has almost become a tradition and till today, MCKK students continue to come here,” Megat Mohd Shahrin said, with a laugh.Despite being based in Kuala Lumpur and saddled with a hectic work schedule, he makes it a point to drop by whenever possible.

“The moment I’m in Ipoh, a quick drive here is a must. After all, it’s not even 50 km away.”

Hussein agreed that Yut Loy was a great place for networking.”During the old boys’ weekend here, you meet senior politicians, corporate figures, the rich and famous. Basically the who’s who of the country.

“We get to know each other and exchange contact numbers for future dealings,” said the 37-year-old.

Former Tenaga Nasional Bhd staff Azemi Zainol Abdin, 61, who made a brief stopover at Yut Loy on his way to Kuala Lumpur from Bukit Mertajam, said: “This (detour) is just for the pau. You can never get it (pau) like this anywhere else in the country.”

A regular customer sitting nearby was overheard telling his amused friends that a good pau would not stick to one’s teeth.

Meanwhile, a local who wished to be identified only as Lim said he takes his friends to the coffee shop and treats them to the famous pau whenever they drop by.

“A visit to Kuala Kangsar is simply incomplete if one does not try the pau,” he said, as he watched his friends, happily munching away on fresh pau.

Lucky Albino Crow

2007-07-17T23:22:00.001+08:00

This article appeared in the Sunday Star on 15th July 2007.

Insurance man claims albino crow brings him luck

MALACCA: Black crows which are a common sight are often shunned as dirty and unlucky, but an albino crow has brought luck to its owner.

Insurance agent Winston Tan has kept a snow-white albino crow sporting a pink beak and red eyes in his house since three months ago.

He had chanced upon two adult crows trying to teach the albino chick how to fly.

“The chick dropped to the ground and I brought it back,” he said, adding that he fed the bird with earthworms, crickets and sometimes even small lizards.

Tan recalled that he was even “attacked” by the two black birds when he went to pick up the albino chick.

Today, the albino bird has learnt to fly by itself.

“Occasionally, I will let the bird out of the cage to fly freely in the room,” said Tan.

Tan said that on one occasion, he had forgotten to close the window and the bird flew away.

“To my surprise, it flew back into the room,” he said.

Tan did not mind the bird’s return.

He said that the bird had been a lucky charm ever since it joined the “household”.

“I have won a small amount of money through lottery since I reared this bird,” said Tan.

Backpacking 101

2007-07-17T23:19:00.000+08:00

Spotted a very interesting article in The Star today on the basics of Backpacking.

This is a must read for all novice backpackers.

Backpack essentials

With the rash of cheap flights on offer, backpacking is becoming increasingly popular. But before you hit the road, know what you need to pack.

By MAJIDAH HASHIM

Prepping your backpack, I always say, is an art. When you consider that your backpack is your entire home (somewhat like a tortoise shell!), it truly is an art.

Like a tortoise’s shell, the backpack holds everything you might need for your weeks on the road. That’s right, everything has got to fit into the 40-litre space of a standard backpack and still be light enough for you to lug around.

I’ve prepped my backpack a hundred times, and yet I’m always finding new ways to utilise space. The trick is mostly to double up the purpose of the items that you bring and to leave everything unnecessary at home.

In preparing for my trek across mainland Indochina, I spent an afternoon with Wong Wye Yim from Nomad Adventures at the Summit USJ, and discovered some nifty ways to save on storage space.

1: Clothes

When deciding what kind of clothes to bring, consider micro-fibres. Micro-fibres are not only strong and durable, but also dry really quickly. They are also light and comfortable. What makes micro-fibre particularly outstanding is that it remains virtually wrinkle-free despite everything.

Bring a light jacket, which can double up as a raincoat. Look out for jackets with a polyurethane coating (waterproof). Consider also drawstring pants and trousers that can be converted into shorts when you need to.

Remember the Rule of Half: Take everything that you plan on bringing with you and lay them out on your bed. Now pack just half of the items.

2: Copy of travel documents

Carry a photocopy of your most important travel documents with you. This should include the details page of your passport, travel insurance and credit cards. Ensuing that these documents are kept neatly is tricky. There are a number of document holders in the market that can do this.

A homemade remedy, on the other hand, is to seal the documents in a kitchen zip lock bag. Flatten and roll this package up and pop it into a diploma scroll holder. This method prevents the documents from being crumpled and is easy to store.

3: First aid kit

A first-aid kit is worthless unless you know how to use it, so get to know your kit. A standard first-aid kit can be purchased at any pharmacy. Be sure to understand how everything works.

If you have any doubt at all, get your doctor or pharmacist to go through the items with you. The contents should include plasters, bandages, gauzes (get to know the difference!), paracetamol, iodine and antiseptic.

I personally find it useful to add to the kit according to my paranoia. Always carry some Vitamin C and a few slabs of lozenges. Bring along some dehydration salts and indigestion salts. And, of course, being Malaysian, you’ll need Minyak Cap Kapak and Tiger Balm.

If you suffer from any sort of allergies, be sure to bring your medication and a prescription from your physician.

4: Food

You can usually tell if you meet a Malaysian on the trail. The Malaysian will be the one carrying 12 packs of instant noodles, a tub of sambal ikan bilis, and a bucket of dodol in a very big backpack.

Is it advisable to bring perishables with you?

The answer is yes and no. Rule of thumb here: less is more. What is the point of travelling to a foreign country if you are not going to try their food? You will discover on the road that the flavours of the world lie not just in the food but in the dining experience as well.

If you absolutely must, then carry instant noodles that are pre-packed in a cup or a bowl. Leave the sambal and dodol at home, substituting perhaps with small, individually packed biscuits and a bar of chocolate (or two).

5: Footwear

Footwear is one of the most overlooked aspects of packing, sometimes to one’s detriment. Your feet are supposed to carry you on your journey, so they deserve attention.

Contrary to popular belief, the best way to get around most of South-East Asia is on flat sandals. Bring also a pair of worn-out running shoes, as you may engage in some sports activities.

You can’t go too far off with this combination. If you’re travelling long distance overland, wear shoes with comfortable socks. Consider choosing technical socks over ordinary cotton socks. Technical socks, found at most pro-shops, are specially designed to wick moisture, keeping your feet dry and preventing them from smelling.

Leave the heels at home, ladies.

6: A sarong

Travellers, women and men, from all around the world vouch for the usefulness of the sarong. It is light, hardly takes up any space, and is extremely useful. Besides defining you as an Asian, it doubles up as funky beachwear, towel and blanket. Travellers have used them as curtains on trains and mats for picnics. too.

I have used my sarong as a sheet to sleep on more than once.

7: Toiletries

I have met some backpackers for whom toiletries take up half the baggage. Because of the personal nature of toiletries, I am inclined to say that you really are the best judge of how much supplies you will need. But the two most essential items that you should bring are the toothbrush and comb. Next, get a tube of toothpaste.

Soap is debatable. If you are staying at a nice hotel, soap will be provided. Carrying a melting bar in your pack can be disgusting. The solution is to carry a bottle of body wash that can also double up as shampoo.

Throw in a bottle of talcum and shaver, and you will have the barest toiletry kit for the hardcore backpacker. For a bit of luxury, throw in a small bottle of moisturiser.

8: Maps

If you know where you are going, it would be great to have maps of your destinations. If you are traversing several countries, it is important that you know where your border crossings are and the visa requirements.

Travel guidebooks are a useful investment if you plan to visit more than one city in your destination country. As a safety precaution, take note of the address and telephone number of the Malaysian embassy, as well as its location on the map.

9: Camera

This seems to be the generation where EVERYONE has a digital camera, doesn’t it? I am often asked if one should bring a DSLR or just a simple point-and-shoot camera on travels. The answer is simple: it depends on how rough you plan on travelling.

If you plan on hopping from train to bus to tuk-tuk, the risk of damaging the DSLR is greater. If you do decide to bring your DSLR, remember to bring padding for it.

One tip that I’ve learnt from travelling photographers is to use black electrical tape to cover the brand name to discourage thefts. If you do not mind the bulk, WXTEX makes incredible camera drybags that are suitable for DSLRs.

The last thing you want to do is be at the mercy of your camera and worry about it being damaged or stolen. Travelling is supposed to be fun.

10: Others

All of these should fit in your very small ice cream tub: a flashlight, extra batteries and a nail clipper.

Make sure you have a rain-cover for your backpack. Also carry about 1m of 3mm climbing cord. You can find this at most adventure gear shops. The cord comes in handy when you need to fix things like a broken shoelace, or when you need to attach things to the outside of your backpack.

Wide-mouth polycarbonate water bottles have found their way into just about every backpacker’s list of essential items. Besides holding drinks, the bottle also doubles up as a container for first-aid material and food items that you want to keep dry.

Ladies may want to consider carrying pepper spray as precaution. Personally, I find it relatively safe to backpack within South-East Asia as long as you keep your dressing modest and stay away from dark alleys.

Responsible tourism

Do your homework. Read up on the countries you will be visiting and understand a little about their culture before visiting.

Generally, you should not visit places of worship in shorts, short skirts and sleeveless shirts. Respect local customs and keep in mind that you are the outsider and this is their way of life.

Wherever you can, support local communities by buying souvenirs straight from the locals instead of second parties.

Photographers should keep in mind that people are not museum exhibits. ALWAYS ASK before taking photos of people and their property, and respect their wishes if they decline to be photographed.

Malaysian Stamps getting more popular

2007-07-14T11:36:00.000+08:00

A few days back, I went to the GPO here in Kuala Lumpur to purchase some Insects Series III Miniature Sheets. To my surprise and consternation, I was informed that the item has been sold out! What! I thought, you got to be kidding! The issue was only a few days old (Issue Date: 7th July 2007) and it cost RM5 a piece. Most people would not want to buy too many of this item as it was relatively an expensive item.

Anyway, the counter staff informed me that the item was indeed out of stock. Other recent items that are also out of stock are the Booklet and Miniature Sheets of Visit Malaysia Year 2007 issued on 19th March 2007.

The 3 items are show below:

To all the collectors who are lucky enough to own the items before they were sold out, congratulations. Hope you cherish these beautiful items.

Holy Mackerel! What a sight!

2007-07-11T23:46:00.000+08:00

Spotted this unusual report in the NST today.

JOHOR BARU: The shoals of fish seen leaping into the air at the Tebrau Straits overlooking Singapore are neither dolphins nor flying fish.
They are ordinary fish like mackerel, more commonly known as kembong, and other pelagic fish that sometimes leap out of the water to avoid predators, environmentalists here said.

But finding them leaping out of the Tebrau Straits is a rare phenomenon.

It could be seen from Stulang Laut to Lido Beach which fronts a large portion of the Tebrau Straits.

Could the phenomenon be due to the increase in the pollution levels in the Tebrau Straits, which is noted for its high levels of lead, mercury and e-coli bacteria?
Ahmad Yusof, who has been fishing in the straits for the past 10 years, said this was the first time he was seeing such large numbers of fish leaping out of the waters.

"In the past, you could see just one or two fish jumping out of the water and only if they were attacked by a large predator fish. But now, the fish are leaping out by the dozens," Ahmad said.

However, Malaysian Nature Society Johor branch bio-diversity researcher Vincent Chow, who had conducted several fish studies in the state, said one could hardly find large predator fish in the straits.

"It is possible that the water is warming up as a direct result of global warming, causing marine parasites to multiply faster than normal and attack the fish."

Chow said there were many marine parasites like crustaceae, platyhelminthes (flatworms), microsporea, protozoa and bacteria that attack fish.

"And the normal response of the affected fish is to try to dislodge or shake off the parasites like the marine argulus, which is a crustacean.

"When these parasites attach themselves to the body of the fish, the discomfort causes them to dart about in an effort to dislodge the parasite."

Chow said the fish would jump out of the water in haphazard directions, unlike their usual forward sprints to shake off the parasite.

Attempts to contact the Fisheries Department proved futile as a worker said its director was away at a meeting and all senior officers were unavailable for comment.

Insects - Series III

2007-07-08T02:02:00.001+08:00

Pos Malaysia chose today 07-07-07 to launch their latest stamp issue on Insects - Series III.

Series I was about Wasps and was launched on 29th July 1991.

Series II was issued during Stamp Week ‘98 on 28th November 1988. The M/S of this issue is shown below.

The latest offering (Series III) from Pos Malaysia is shown below.

The interesting thing is that our Pos Malaysia is becoming more adventurous and creative. They are more willing to try new processes, styles and techniques. The last issue on Childrens Folk Tales has silver foil hot-stamped onto the miniature sheet. This time round, they are using diffraction foil. Both techniques are being used for the first time by Pos Malaysia.

The Power of 7

2007-07-08T01:58:00.000+08:00

Today is 07-07-07, a date that comes around only once in a century (read that once in a lifetime). My lucky number was 7. It still is. I cannot explain it but I have always liked this number. This number has always fascinated and mystified mankind since it was first invented. Besides, it is the highest single digit prime number.

Just in Klang alone, 121 couples chose this memorable date to tie the knot. Another 39 couples in Ipoh and 77 couples in Penang were married today.

Even Pos Malaysia saw it fit to chose this date to launch its latest stamp issue entitled Insects - Series III

121 couples married in Klang on 07-07-07.
By CHRISTINA TAN

KLANG: One hundred and twenty-one couples got married in Klang on Saturday because it was 07-07-07, an auspicious day.

Among them was marketing officer Sharon Chia, 23, for whom it will always be a double celebration on every July 7 as her birthday and wedding day fall on the same date.

“July 7 is a very significant day for me not just because I was born on that day, I also want the happiest moment of my life to be recorded in this day.

“To get married on July 7 was one of the conditions I put to my husband before I accepted his proposal,” she said.

Seven was her lucky number and she loved things which have the number seven on it since young, said Chia, who was born and raised in Pulau Ketam.

Chia met her husband Yee Lee Keong, a 31-year-old foreman, in a cinema three years ago when they accompanied their friends to a movie.

It was like love at first sight and their relationship had blossomed since then, she added.

Hardware operator Tan Wee Hong, 27, and clerk Goh Chen Huay, also 27, said they had planned their wedding on July 7 two years ago.

“We chose to get married today because triple seven is a very auspicious number. Besides that, the date is very easy to remember,” he said after a mass wedding at the Hokkien Association.

In Ipoh, siblings Ho Soot Fun, 28, and Ho Man Kit, 24, were among 39 couples to tie the knot at the Ipoh Chinese Chin Woo Athletic Association.

In Penang Cheah Chin Kheng who was born on July 7 and married his sweetheart of seven years on a “triple seven” day.

The 22-year-old machinist said it was love at first sight when he met Teh Mei Shuang, 21 during a school trip to Genting Highlands seven years ago.

The two were among the 77 couples who exchanged marriage vows at the Penang Chinese Town Hall Saturday.

King of Fruits - Part 3

2007-07-04T13:32:00.000+08:00

The durian season is here again! And with it the mangosteen season. These two seasons always seem to go hand in hand. Just as well because durian is supposed to be heaty and mangosteen has a "cooling" effect on the body.

The King of Fruits even feature prominently in what was dubbed "Durian Diplomacy" when Malaysian Prime Minister and his Singapore counterpart took part in a durian fiesta in Pulau Langkawi recently. Rumour has it that the best fruits were airlifted from Balik Pulau, Penang (an area famous for its boutique orchards) for the special occasion.

Some of the more well known durian clones are listed below. Many more remain unlisted and if you are a durian connoisseur you might want to make a trip to the area to really taste the vast variety of durian here.This list of durians have appeared before in various blogs.

D11 - This was a very popular clone in the 70’s. Its creamy yellow flesh comes with a pleasant taste and a subtle smell.

D604 - This clone was first cultivated by the late Mr. Teh Hew Hong of Sungai Pinang, Balik Pulau. The flesh is quite sweet, and has some “body” to it as the seed is small.

D600 - This durian originates in Sungai Pinang in Balik Pulau. The flesh has a bittersweet taste to it, with a touch of sourness.

D700 - The flesh is darker than D600, like chrome yellow. Also slightly hard. Crispy, but the smell is not very strong.

Ang Sim (Red Heart) - Ang Sim is a durian with flesh, which is quite soft and very sweet, and dark yellow in colour. It also has a nice aroma.

Khun Poh - This durian takes the name of the late Mr Lau Khun Poh, who first budded it. Khun Poh has beautiful orangey flesh with a slightly bittersweet taste and a heavy aroma.

The flesh of the Hor Loh is very soft, dry and quite bitter. It has a sharp smell to it. Hor Loh was first cultivated at the Brown Estate of Sungai Ara. It got its name from its appearance resembling a “Hor Lor” pumpkin. If the durian hits the ground hard when it falls, the flesh tends to be bitter thereafter.

Ang Heh (Red Prawn Durian) - Ang Heh originates from Pondok Upeh, Balik Pulau, and has a round-shaped husk. The orange reddish flesh is highly aromatic, very soft with a bittersweet taste.

Xiao Hung (Little Red Durian) - Xiao Hung, whose name means “Little Red One,” originates in Sungai Pinang, Balik Pulau. The flesh has a bittersweet taste to it, with a touch of sourness. There are only one or two seeds per section, but the flesh is thick.

Yah Kang (Centipede Durian) - Although its flesh is whitish, the taste is superb, milky, like very sweet, melting chocolate. The name “yah kang” means centipede, and accounts for the number of centipedes found at the foot of the tree, hence giving it the rather unusual name.

Bak Eu (Pork Fat Durian) - Bak Eu has a slightly acidic aroma. The flesh is whitish while the taste is quite bitter but nice.

D17 - D17 is dark cream flesh. The taste is slightly dry but sweet. It is a tasty durian.

Coupling - This durian gets its unusual name because it looks like two durians joined together, one big and one small. When split open, you almost thought the two halves belong to two different durians. Coupling has whitish flesh, which is slightly dry but tastes good.

Ooi Kyau (Tumeric Durian) - The name Ooi Kyau (tumeric) describes the colour of the bright yellow flesh of this durian. It is very sweet and tasty.

Chaer Phoy (Green Skin Durian) - Chaer Phoy is shaped like a small cantaloupe. The skin is bright green, giving it the name, which means, “green skin”. Chaer Phoy has creamy white flesh which is a bit dry, not too sweet but tasty.

As the name suggests, Ang Jin Durian has deep orange flesh. It is very sweet and tasty.

Lin Fong Jiau - This bittersweet durian is said to be named after Lin Fong Jiau, the wife of Jackie Chan.

Hunky customer triggers catfight

2007-07-03T20:10:00.000+08:00

Spotted this bizarre piece of news in the Star today. Seems to be a scene right out of Bollywood! :-)

KUALA TERENGGANU: A man, who reportedly looked like a Bollywood actor, walked into a food court for a teh tarik and triggered a brawl among three women that left one woman scalded and another woman’s T-shirt ripped open.

Several chairs and tables were damaged during the fight among the women at the outlet in Merega Beris in Kijal, Kemaman on Saturday.

The shocked man fled the scene.

It all began when the man walked in alone. Two women at two separate stalls immediately tried to get his attention and lure him over to their stalls.

When he stopped to speak with one of the women, her competitor, 21, became so incensed that she marched over to the woman, tore her T-shirt and accused her of being gatal and dressing seductively.

The other woman, 22, immediately grabbed a pan and splashed her attacker with hot water, scalding her.

The scalded woman’s mother, 46, rushed to her daughter’s aid, hurling chairs at her assailant, damaging tables and alarming the other customers, said state Deputy CID Chief Supt Khairi Ahrasa yesterday.

He said the scalded woman was now warded at the Kemaman Hospital.

US couple claims $105.8 million lottery prize

2007-07-01T18:48:00.000+08:00

Further to the blog on the lottery ticket seller who fled town after she told the public about the winning ticket, I can’t help but noticed how things are so different overseas.

Here is a report from the Star about a US couple winning a USD105.8 million jackpot and the story gets wide publicity and a picture of the couple to boot.

Here in Malaysia, everything would be classified “TOP SECRET”.

East is East and West is West ………

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP): Don Harvey’s long-haul truck had almost 2 million miles (3 million kilometers) on it when its engine died this week. Now he and his wife are millionaires who bought the winning ticket for a $105.8 million (euro78.3 million) lottery jackpot.

Harvey and his wife, Joyce, said they will pay off bills, help family members and think about buying a new home with their winnings.

They chose to receive a $33.3 million (euro24.7 million) lump sum after taxes instead of the full amount paid out over 29 years.

Joyce Harvey said she was in “absolute disbelief and shock” when she checked the numbers on her computer Thursday night and found she had the winner. “Basically, I just broke down and cried,” she said Friday.

It was a quirky thing that she won, she said, because she always had bought lottery tickets using the same numbers. She said she recently bought a ticket, but the numbers “came out wrong.” She said she decided to use those same numbers when she bought the latest ticket and bingo, it was a winner.

Only one ticket sold for Wednesday night’s drawing matched the six numbers drawn. The odds of winning were about 176 million to one, said Jim Scoggins, executive director of the lottery.

In March, two ticket winners split a record $390 million (euro293 million) jackpot for another multi-state lottery, Mega Millions.

Boss beats up man caught with his wife

2007-07-01T18:46:00.000+08:00

When I read the following report in the Star today, two Chinese sayings instantly sprang to mind (both literally translated).

1. Never sh** and eat in the same place. (Never sh** in your rice-bowl??)

2. If you want to steal food, you must know how to wipe your mouth.

MIRI: A foreign worker was beaten up by his employer after he was found in a “compromising position” with the businessman’s attractive young wife.

Not satisfied with the punishment meted out on his employee, the dealer in telecommunication equipment lodged a police report against the 19-year-old employee for alleged sexual harassment of his wife.

The incident allegedly occurred in the man’s shop located in a commercial complex on the outskirts of the city on Friday night.

The businessman’s wife is in her late 20s. The man, in his late 40s, lodged the report against the youth at the Miri Central Police Station after he had beaten up the employee.

The businessman claimed that the worker had been sexually harassing his wife and that he had tried to force himself on her.

Police detained the worker on Friday night for questioning and obtained a six-day remand order to facilitate investigation.

‘Spell’ of discontent

2007-06-30T22:06:00.001+08:00

Spotted this interesting report in the NST today:

PASIR MAS: Villagers here were relieved that six banana trunks were finally removed from the graveyard they were buried in.

But the bomoh who buried them in the Kampung Banggol cemetery said it would affect the “treatment” he gave to a family from Penang.

Six days ago, bomoh Mohamed Ariffin Ibrahim buried the banana trunks, wrapped in burial cloths, to imprison “evil spirits”.

This caused an uproar in the village, with rumours spreading that aliens from outer space had been buried there.

“They don’t believe that the banana trunks contain evil spirits that I was trying to imprison. Removing them will affect the treatment I provided to a family plagued by a group of spirits,” he said at the graveyard.

Ariffin said he would not be responsible for “whatever happened” after they are removed.

The police received a permit from the Kelantan Islamic Affairs Council to dig them up yesterday.

Hundreds of villagers gathered at the cemetery as early as 8am to watch the “exhumation”.

District police chief Superintendent Haliludin Rahim said he hoped this would end all the speculation and rumours.

The 59-year-old bomoh, called “Abang Pin” by the locals, believed that someone might have been jealous of his popularity and “effective” treatment and informed the police.

It is not known what the police have done with the trunks.

King of Fruits - Part 2

2007-06-30T19:26:00.001+08:00

Another interest item on the King of Fruits in the Star dated 26th June 2007:

20,000 durians to be given away on Sunday

By MAZNI MUSTAFA

IPOH: Foreign tourists, including Europeans, will be well-informed about the Malaysian king of fruits so that the Perak Durian Festival on Sunday will be a success.

“We don’t want our Durian Festival to face the same fate as what had happened in Penang when promoting the fruit,” said Changkat Jering assemblyman Datuk Mat Isa Ismail, who is co-organiser of the event.

“We want our foreign guests to take part in the event until the end of the programme,” he told reporters here on Tuesday.

On June 18, it had been reported that 18 foreign tourists taking part in a durian-eating competition in Penang fled the scene soon after taking a whiff of the fruit as they could not stand its strong smell, resulting in the cancellation of the contest.

Mat Isa said a group of 60 foreign tourists, including Europeans, would be taking part in the durian festival.

He said event organiser, the state Tourism Council, had taken steps to brief them so that they would know what to expect during the programme to promote the fruit.

The move was to ensure the foreigners, who would be arriving in two express buses from Kuala Lumpur, would be able to bear the strong smell of the Malaysia king of fruits.

On the festival, Mat Isa said about 20,000 durians would be given out free during the event to be held at the Bukit Gantang public field in Taiping from 10am onwards.

He said the people would also be treated with all kinds of durian-flavoured foods such as gulai tempoyak, dodol, jam, ice-cream, fritters, yogurt, and juice.

“The highlight will be a gotong-royong involving 50 housewives to make cucur durian (durian fritters) using eight gunny sacks of wheat flour,” he said.

The people could also buy the fruit at bargain prices from the 15 stalls set up at the field, he said.

He added that 10,000 people were expected to attend the event to be launched by Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak and his wife Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor.

King of Fruits - Part 1

2007-06-30T19:25:00.000+08:00

The following article is from the Star published on 23rd June 2007.

Times are changing so the way of doing business must change too!

Don’t leave home without it???

Pay for durians with credit card

By NG SU-ANN

PENANG: A banner saying “We accept Master and Visa” hangs outside the stall at Jalan Van Praagh here. Only, it’s not your usual touristy shop. It’s a makeshift durian stall.

And yes, you can buy the King of Fruits with credit cards.

At least three stalls in Penang have opted to extend “credit” purchases to their customers after a bank approached them.

The other two stalls are located in Relau and Mt Erskine.

Seng Durian Enterprise owner Ngang Boon Seng said: “Just like supermarkets and boutiques which accept credit cards, we want to offer such flexibility to our customers, too.”

“And business has been good as customers tend to buy more using credit cards,” he said, adding that a customer recently bought RM800 worth of durians.

“Nowadays, many shoppers don’t like to carry too much cash for fear of being robbed,” he added.

Ngang noted that most of his customers use credit cards to pay for their purchases towards the end of the month when most people were short of cash.

The 37-year-old said credit cards were accepted for purchases above RM40.

Ngang said he gets about 100 customers daily, some from as far as Indonesia, Europe, Korea, China and Singapore.

“We sell a variety including Ang Heh (Red Prawn), Tangkai Panjang (Long Stem), Ganja, D2, D11 and 604.

“Durians are more costly this year as the harvest has dropped by about 30%,” he said.

Retired driving instructor Loh Hoon Wan, 66, was among the many who used his credit card to buy durians yesterday.

“I’m buying RM100 worth of durians as presents to my relatives and friends,” he said, adding that he preferred to use his credit card as he could “buy now and worry later.”

Magic powers of talismans

2007-06-30T19:23:00.000+08:00

Read the following interesting item in The Star a few days back.

Just wondering if the guy is willing to prove his claims by letting someone shoot him with a gun.

Magic powers of talismans

PEOPLE are willing to spend millions of ringgit to buy talismans, which purportedly have invincible powers and enable the wearer to live longer.

According to Harian Metro, Hazim, a trader, claims to own several talismans which are sought by VIPs.

He said the popular amulets were the mengkudu wood, which are found on anthills, and besi bhat (iron).

He said that a Siamese priest had cast a spell on the items.

Hazim claimed that a VIP once paid RM550,000 for a necklace made from pig skin and RM150,000 for a piece of talisman cloth to be tied around the waist.

He said he owned a talisman called Ular Karimah Sakti, which he had obtained from India, which could make the wearer invincible.

“A VIP has offered RM1.5mil for it. Currently, I’m negotiating with him,” he said, adding that he had another talisman made of cloth called “Baju Wafak”, which would protect the wearer from bullets.

The daily quoted Kolej Islam Darul Ridzuan rector Prof Datuk Dr Mohammed Yusoff Hussein as saying that Muslims should invest their money for a good cause rather than on talismans which were against the religion.

“All the items are black magic. It is not surprising that they can make a person invincible. Black magic cannot be used in Islam,” he added.

What a way to go……

2007-06-29T00:17:00.001+08:00

Spotted this report in the NST today.

Man crushed to death

PETALING JAYA: Make no mistake about it. An eight-tonne steamroller may be the slowest vehicle on the road, but it can be deadly.

A 25-year-old foreign construction worker was crushed to death by one yesterday while crossing the Damansara-Puchong Highway.

Rezaul Karim was behind the vehicle when its operator put it into reverse, crushing him.

ATM Corner @ Central Market KL

2007-06-29T00:15:00.000+08:00

Do you know that Central Market in Kuala Lumpur has an ATM Corner? Honestly, I didn't, until yesterday that is.

I only discovered the fact when I accidentally walk into the corner after lunch in the vicinity yesterday. Immediately as you enter the building through the main entrance, turn right and walk right to the corner of the building. That corner has ATMs from 3 different banks, namely RHB Bank, CIMB Bank and Maybank.

The Google Earth Image below shows the location of this ATM Corner.

Travellers and tourists may also find it a big convenience to be able to withdraw cash from their accounts via these machines.

Man out of luck

2007-06-29T00:14:00.000+08:00

This is a follow-up on my post of 20th June about the woman who sold the winning Lottery Ticket of RM17,000,000.00

Misery of man who missed out on RM17mil

THE tale of a young man who missed becoming the next big millionaire by a mere ticket was highlighted by China Press.

One of the lottery tickets he bought was one number behind the winning ticket, which paid out RM17mil, including the RM14mil jackpot.

The daily reported yesterday that the man bought tickets ranging from 5638964 to 5638971. The winning ticket was 5638963.

To further compound his misery, he was knocked down by a motorcyclist while on his way back to Muar from outstation.

The man said a woman ticket seller had approached him.

“I still remember her telling me that the first person to buy lottery tickets from her on that day would win the jackpot,” he said.

Winning lottery ticket seller goes into hiding

AFTER a punter from Muar won a whopping RM17mil in a Big Sweep draw, the person who sold the winning ticket has gone into hiding, China Press reported.

The speculation in town is that the ticket seller is an old woman, who fears she would be a target of crooks.

An official of the lottery company in Kuala Lumpur, identified only as Ye, said their Muar representative had scolded her for disclosing details of the winning ticket.

She said that because there were not many lottery representatives in Muar it was easy to find out who sold the winning ticket.

Ye recalled that some years back a Big Sweep representative in Kuala Lumpur became a victim of robbers when it was found that he had sold a winning ticket.

Malaysia-Brunei Joint Issue

2007-06-29T00:11:00.000+08:00

Received an interesting mail from a customer of mine:

Hello,

Malaysia Brunei Joint Issue - Unique Marine Life has been issued on 6.feb.2007.
Why had been the year 2006 printed on all stamps and S/S ???
Is it error from the post ???

Looking forward to hearing from you soon.

Regards

The answer is simple. This issue was originally scheduled for 2006. After the stamps were nicely printed and delivered, the Issue Date was deferred and eventually the stamps were issued in February 2007.

Pos Malaysia has decided NOT to reprint the stamps (most probably due to the cost involved?).

The images of the items in question are shown below.

Same stamp image but different denomination?

2007-06-29T00:10:00.000+08:00

The upcoming issue from Pos Malaysia has one very interesting feature.

2 children's drawing (4 stamps due to both stamps being setenent) on the Sheet of 20 have the 50 sen denomination.

The same 2 drawing (4 stamp) is also issued in the booklet format but are denominated in 30 sen.

Looks like there are going to be a lot of confused people in the not too distant future. :-)

Smoking is Dangerous to your health

2007-06-29T00:08:00.000+08:00

Read two very interesting items in the Star today:

Man blown apart in lorry explosion
KUALA LUMPUR: A man, who was waiting for his brother in a lorry, was blown to pieces when the vehicle carrying engine oil exploded on Sunday in Kepong, here.

Police said Lee Gar Chin, 31, was ripped apart in the explosion.

It was learnt that a cigarette was the cause of the blast. Police have ruled out foul play.

The other item was about an old woman who cannot keep her mouth shut.

Winning lottery ticket seller goes into hiding

AFTER a punter from Muar won a whopping RM17mil in a Big Sweep draw, the person who sold the winning ticket has gone into hiding, China Press reported.

The speculation in town is that the ticket seller is an old woman, who fears she would be a target of crooks.

An official of the lottery company in Kuala Lumpur, identified only as Ye, said their Muar representative had scolded her for disclosing details of the winning ticket.

She said that because there were not many lottery representatives in Muar it was easy to find out who sold the winning ticket.

Ye recalled that some years back a Big Sweep representative in Kuala Lumpur became a victim of robbers when it was found that he had sold a winning ticket.

There has got to be a lesson or two to be learned here.

Free Malaysian Midi tunes

2007-06-29T00:06:00.000+08:00

Just a thought. If anyone wants the midi file for a handful of Malaysian Tunes, just click on the link below:

http://www.webbiz2u.com/Free/Midi/freemidi.html

Enjoy.....

Samy Vellu's guarantee of a century!

2007-06-28T23:43:00.000+08:00

Came across this article while browsing the NST today.

Was wondering on what basis was the guarantee period given and who to go after to make good the guarantee. :-)

KUALA LUMPUR: After its refurbishment, Parliament House can stand for another 100 to 150 years.

This was the assurance given by Works Minister Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu, who said the building’s structure was sound since the Public Works Department had supervised its construction.

"The design is complex and modern. It is the first parliament building in the world that will look new at all times," he said after attending the third Social Entrepreneurs Network’s (SeNet) Job Fair 2007.

SeNet is a non-governmental organisation established for Indian professionals to spearhead community service. It organises job fairs twice a year. SeNet has so far successfully found work for some 500 job seekers.

Samy Vellu said he preferred the building to remain intact and for parliament to be situated in the city. "If not, we would have moved to a new building in Putrajaya".

He said in light of the problems plaguing the Parliament House, PWD was setting up a special maintenance unit and a report would be submitted to the cabinet within a week."I have also directed the PWD director-general to send people from the mechanical, electrical and architectural departments to identify problems. There will be four or five experienced engineers there to supervise maintenance work."Declining to divulge the cost of refurbishment, he said the repairs included replacing the PVC pipes and waterproofing the roof. Details would be submitted to the cabinet and Finance Ministry.On the wiring, Samy Vellu admitted that it was last done in 1964."During the last renovation, rewiring was confined to the main chambers and the public gallery. But now we will look into the wiring in other parts of the building," he said, adding that to tear down the existing building and construct a new one would cost between RM1.5 billion to RM2 billion.The minister said the last refurbishment, to the tune of RM90 million, involved improving the interior of the building, including enlarging the chambers and re-carpeting the floors.

Welcome to Malaysian Blogs Page

2007-06-28T23:41:00.000+08:00

As Malaysia celebrates its 50th year of Independence, we should all pause to see how far we have gone and how far more we should go. We should also reflect on where we have gone wrong and how we should have done things better.

This blog will be used to document the thoughts of a Malaysian about his country, its history and its future. It will also act as a window to Malaysia as viewed by an ordinary citizen of this country.

Constructive comments are warmly welcomed.

Please note that this blog is a mirror of the blog located at:

http://www.webbiz2u.com/JAM/

Kenneth Loh

Rectilinear ground coverage	391.4m	Friend Yutaka Kamiya (Aichi prefecture)
		East institute of technology type oxy flier
		The saitama prefecture Hiki Gun Kawasima Cho HONDA airport
		2006.07.16 <2006.09.05>

Duration of flight	59s (59 seconds)	Friend Yutaka Kamiya (Aichi prefecture)
		East institute of technology type oxy flier
		The saitama prefecture Hiki Gun Kawasima Cho HONDA airport
		2006.07.16 <2006.09.05>

	Circumstances of official record flight

	Single 3 dry cell battery 160 these loading