Edward Kollmer

Edward Kollmer, 44, is the general manager of Thistle Johor Bahru.

By Chuah Bee Kim

WHEN I am working, I don't perceive work as work. That is how much I enjoy my role. I strive to make improvements, big and small, as I believe there is always room for improvement. When I'm not at work, you will probably find me enjoying a game of golf. I also love travelling, as I find it is not only a form of recreation but also something that is educational.

I travel to London, my home base, four or five times a year. When I was growing up in Dublin, Ireland, my father owned a fine-dining restaurant. I helped out in the restaurant from the age of 6 till when I was about 16.

This was really tough as you can imagine. The business was very successful and I learned a lot, especially how to work hard and be part of something successful.

I graduated from Shannon College of Hotel Management and during the course, I worked in London. I then spent a year in Switzerland.

A scholarship from Cornell University enabled me to complete a Master's degree from the University of Buckingham in the United Kingdom.

Since then, I went on to work in numerous hotels and held many roles and business responsibilities before joining Thistle Hotels and Resorts in the UK in 2006.

Two years ago, I came to Thistle Johor Bahru and I must say that I am very proud of the fact that Johor Baru is a city that is currently experiencing rapid growth.

There is so much I can do here. I want Thistle to maintain its status as one of the leading hotels here. We are currently working with several government, corporate sectors and tourism boards to attract more tourists to Johor Baru.

With our continuous efforts in conducting "Our World Class Way" training for the entire team and extending the warm southern charm and Malaysian hospitality, it gives our guests a sense of feeling of being at home.

The past two years were exceptional years for Thistle Johor Bahru, the best ever.

I see this year as another splendid one as it is Visit Malaysia Year 2014 and we are seeing more business and leisure tourists from Singapore, Hong Kong and Indonesia.

The Malaysian greeting of placing one's hand over the heart, for example, is such a warm gesture and you will see the entire team doing that here. It truly reflects the Malaysian hospitality and guests usually reciprocate the same way.

Johor Baru has much to offer tourists, especially with the new development in Iskandar Malaysia and the Legoland Malaysia theme park. This motivates us all to ensure that we are at the centre of transformation.

Read more: For Kollmer, work is not like work - Johor - New Straits Times http://www.nst.com.my/streets/johor/for-kollmer-work-is-not-like-work-1.506288#ixzz2vbqRCfQH

Pray

We need to move beyond talking and preaching and start PRAYING.

Pray consistently.  Pray persistently.  Pray for the salvation of others.  Pray for clarity and wisdom.  Pray for the strength to face whatever challenges you are facing.

I was in church today.  I'm not a Christian, but I think the most important thing to do NOW is to pray. 

I really enjoyed the sermon.  The pastor talked about God opening doors for us, but our pride, behavior and attitude may have closed the door, denying ourselves the privileges and blessings. 

I enjoyed the joke which the pastor shared about the two parrots where one was trained to say "Let's Pray".  Yes, the parrot can only utter "Let's Pray", while another parrot had only been trained to say "Let's Get Married".  One day the owners of these two parrots decided to get their pets together so that they can learn from one another.

When the meeting eventually took place, one parrot uttered "Let's Get Married" and the other promptly replied: "Prayers answered."

There was another joke he shared which I found was pretty funny too, but I shall leave that for another day.

Nothing was mentioned at all about the flight MH370 but as we all closed our eyes to pray, I'm sure many of us were sending prayers to the victims and loved ones of the passengers and crew.

When I read NST online today, I also came across this report where our Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak had called on Malaysians to continue offering prayers and motivational support for families of passengers on board the missing Beijing-bound MH370 flight.  The report was by Adib Povera.


I also read this  Prayers for MH370 on http://bigcatrambleon.blogspot.com/  She said it so well here.

 I've always been interested in faith and prayer.  I don't really pray or chant consistently.  I get lazy and also "hilang semangat" at times.  But I do believe in the power of prayers.  And it is essential to know what we are praying for.

Chill With Avocado Juice

The "juice alpukat" (avocado juice) with ayam penyet at Ayam Penyet Ria in City Square Johor Baru was the highlight of the day.  The avocado juice was so so so delicious.

I'm not working today.  It didn't start out too well, but after hearing news about the Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 that went missing after it left Kuala Lumpur earlier today, how bad could my day be? 

Yesterday, my emotions went haywire.  I handed a form to someone a few days ago.  The form went missing.  We both tried to remember that day but I only remembered up to the point where I handed her the form, and she only remembered up to the point where she received the form from me.

Whatever happened after that, neither of us could remember. I could have taken back the form after I had given it to her.  I'm not saying I did that but I just couldn't remember.  I also cannot say that she left it on her desk and someone took it away simply because I didn't see that.  The wind could've blown it away.  It could've gotten into one of the files.  There are a few possibilities.

 I wasn't angry because I can always fill up the form again.  It wasn't a big problem.

But I needed to inform someone about the missing form.  And this someone said this to me: "Let this be a lesson to you."  He said that because he thought I didn't make a photocopy of it.  But I had already made a copy.

Anyway, that one short sentence sent an avalanch of thoughts and emotions my way.  Immediately, I switched to victim mode.  Initially, there was no anger at all.  But when the anger took over, I contemplated writing a nasty note.  Something like this one, somehow I didn't know how to.

I only had this to say: "Saboteur, what do you get by taking my things except earn demerit points? I can always fill it up again. And I get merit points." 

Quite nasty, right?  :)  Maybe I just didn't have the mean streak.   

But all this was yesterday.  Today, I don't see it as a personal attack anymore.  I was expecting some understanding, some sympathy perhaps, and didn't see "Let this be a lesson to you" coming.  

Today  I just want to say "Sorry, I should have better control of my emotions."

David vs Goliah

08 March 2014

A tale of two campaigns

By Shahrum Sayuthi

 

THE end-lot terrace house near Pearl Avenue in Sungai Chua, which is MCA's main operations centre for the Kajang by-election, is a hive of activity from early morning till late night for the past weeks.    Yesterday, election workers, many in their early 20s, were seen arranging posters and party flags while others were briefing party members in the living room, which had been turned into a makeshift conference hall.
   On the wall outside, there were two buntings which have no direct political element, capable perhaps of attracting the immediate attention of visitors. One promotes an anti-dengue campaign while the other offers of free medical check-ups.
   At one corner of the porch, young party workers man a public services and complaints booth.
   Every few minutes, residents, many of whom are elderly, turn up to ask for help in matters ranging from clogged drains to loss of land title documents.
   The workers record the complaints before channelling them to party officials for action.
Barisan Nasional candidate and MCA vice-president Datin Paduka Chew Mei Fun was, meanwhile, busy making her rounds in Kajang.
   Early yesterday morning, she had a walkabout at Pasar Pagi in Taman Ceras Mas, followed by an appearance at the education and career fair at Kompleks Metro Point. Later in the evening till late at night, she had meet-the-people sessions at several locations in Kajang.
   It is a typical MCA style of campaigning -- low key and down to earth with emphasis given to providing services for the people and keeping it all very community-oriented.
Chew's daily schedule mostly consists of visits to public places and functions in the daytime, and meeting voters in small groups in the evening.
   Not known for giving fiery speeches, she is calm and collected when she explains to those present at her meet-the-people functions about her plans if elected.
   She may not have the eloquence of Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, PKR's candidate, but Chew holds the advantage when it comes to offering sensible touches to the campaign which is hotting up as nomination day on March 11 draws near.
   Perhaps her lack of aggressive posturing may even turn out to be the crucial ingredient, which could possibly turn the tide come polling day on March 23.
   Still, the underdog tag worn by Chew and the rest of the BN campaign crew seems to be obvious considering PKR's intense activities in Kajang since day one.
   Anwar, on the other hand, has obviously been preparing for the engineered by-election for quite some time as his party workers appeared to be well coordinated, down to the minutest details on how to carry out their campaign.
   Operating from a four-storey building in Sungai Sekamat, they appeared confident, particularly in winning an overwhelming bulk of votes from Kajang's Chinese voters in a repeat of the outcome of the 13th General Election in May last year.
PKR won the Kajang state constituency of more than 38,000 voters in that election by an almost 7,000-vote majority.
   Political observers estimated that up to 90 per cent of the Chinese voters in Kajang had given their support to PKR. Malays make up 48 per cent of the voters; Chinese, 40 per cent; Indians, 10 per cent; and others about one per cent.
   Anwar has, so far, been obvious about his campaign strategy; he is going all out for the Malay votes, believing that votes of the Chinese community are already in his pocket.
   Most of his scheduled ceramah, all the way to nomination day, are concentrated in Malay areas, where they draw a few hundred strong crowd per night.
   PKR's campaign in areas with a sizeable Chinese community has, so far, been led by its vice-president, Tian Chua, during the day.
   Anwar would, on most days, only turn up later in the evening, first for maghrib prayers at one of the mosques or surau in areas where there is a concentration of Malay voters, before proceeding to another venue nearby for his ceramah.
   While Chew may talk about improving healthcare services, traffic flow and basic needs of Kajang folk, the opposition leader mainly focuses on accusing the BN government of being responsible for all the problems afflicting Malaysian society.
   It is a total contrast between the two potential candidates in a contest, which could be dubbed David versus Goliath.
   The outcome, which will have far-reaching consequences, especially for Selangor, could, however, still go either way, depending on what the folk of Kajang want -- a good service-oriented wakil rakyat with a track record of hard work in her previous constituency in Petaling Jaya Utara, or a smooth-talking populist leader who fashions himself as the country's alternative prime minister.

Read more: A tale of two campaigns - Columnist - New Straits Times http://www.nst.com.my/opinion/columnist/a-tale-of-two-campaigns-1.501764#ixzz2vKDtGlnc

Fires To Put Out

Phones are ringing off the hook at the operations room of the Johor Fire & Rescue Services Department, says its assistant director (operations) Mohd Rizal Buang (standing)

There are lives to save and fires to put out everywhere.  Owing to the current hot spell, Mohd Rizal shared with us that the department receives an average of 110 calls per day throughout Johor since the beginning of the year to now (Jan 1 to March 4).  In the same period, there were 49 prank calls.

The telephone operators at the operations room hardly have time to go for their lunch breaks.  So, please don't send the firemen on a wild goose chase.  The telephone operators are divided into 3 teams of 5 staff each.  One team will work from 8am to 8pm, another team from 8pm to 8am while one team gets to rest.

The department's priorities are to save lives, followed by buildings and the environment.  Do call the operations room immediately when you spot a fire.  Don't call out of boredom to chit-chat with the friendly firemen.

And if your vehicle were to catch fire --- there have been a number of cases of late due to the hot spell --- don't forget to also lodge a report with the fire department other than the police department.  The fee for lodging the report, which is essential to claim for insurance, is RM100.

That's all for now.  Weather's hot, drink lots of water to prevent dehydration.  It's also a weight loss strategy.

Touching Speech by Top Cop

His subordinate had prepared a speech for him, but Johor police chief Datuk Mokhtar Shariff refused to look at it --- not because it was badly written --- but because Datuk Mokhtar wanted to speak from the heart.

And the heartfelt words touched many hearts, mine included.  The event took place at the Johor Baru Utara (JBU) police station in Skudai.

It was a ceremony to welcome the new JBU police chief Assistant Commissioner Khamsani Abdul Rahman and to bid adieu to the outgoing police chief Assistant Commissioner Ruslan Hassan, who has been promoted to Assistant Director of Management in Bukit Aman.

It was a bittersweet occasion, a teary day for the boys in blue.

Datuk Mokhtar said: "Policing, the landscape and public expectations have changed over the years and the police force cannot remain stagnant.  There has to be transfers; and the sole intention of a police officer is to serve the rakyat.

"We need to remain united as there are plenty of kulit pisang

just lying in wait for the police to fall.

"We work day and night. We work 14 hours a day but when one crime happens, we get a lot of shelling,  We just need to do our best, and leave it to Allah to do the rest."
 

with Johor top cop Datuk Mokhtar Shariff

The current staff strength of the state police force is 8,556.  With Iskandar Malaysia undergoing massive development and robust growth, it looks like the police force certainly needs more manpower.

But apart from manpower, the vital ingredients of great performance are teamwork and a competent leader.  One that leads by example, and cares about his men, like ACP Ruslan, and Datuk Mokhtar.

Ruslan said: "If you Datuk Mokhtar says I am brave, my men's bravery are beyond words."

Ruslan served in JBU for 7 years 4 months 3 days.  He will be heading to Bukit Aman now that he has been promoted to assistant director of management.

All the best Tuan Ruslan and to his successor, Tuan Khamsani.