My "Sakura Boulevard"

A huge sigh of relief as my Tanjung Kupang crash story did not see print in New Sunday Times as earlier expected.  

For a flash respite, I walked over to my "Sakura Boulevard" in Bandar Baru Uda, Johor Bahru.  The sight of the delicate petals floating in the air from its branches was sheer poetry.

Delicate petals

Bandar Baru Uda

"Buddhism teaches that everything is life, from human beings to the smallest roadside pebble or a single blade of grass. Every bit of the world that surrounds us embodies the mystery of the universe and the wondrous law of life. A rugged mountain that has been buffeted by harsh winds emanates the poetry of intense struggle; the innocent smiles of children convey the love of life." - Soka Gakkai International.

Meanwhile, an excerpt of my story on the 1977 Tanjung Kupang crash.  I have taken out the part where I interviewed the mother of one of the victims of the ill-fated flight.  It had caused her much anguish and distress.

JOHOR BARU: Over the years, the visitors to the Tanjung Kupang memorial in Jalan Kebun Teh here have grown lesser in number.
  The memorial contained the remains of the 100 people on board the ill-fated Malaysia Airlines (MAS) flight MH653 which crashed into a mangrove swamp in Tanjung Kupang near Gelang Patah here on Dec 4, 1977.
  Of the 100, seven were crew members and 93 were passengers.
  The crowd who visited the memorial may have lessen over time, along with the pain of those who lost their loved ones in the crash, but the memories still linger.
  Abdul Latif Ahmad, 48, a businessman, was at the memorial yesterday with his wife, Bahiyah Ahmad, 46.
  Bahiyah's mother lives near to the memorial site, making it convenient for the couple to visit the site regularly.

Abdul Latif Ahmad at the Tanjung Kupang Memorial

"I was 10 at the time of the crash.  I am from Kampung Rambah in Pontian.  At that time, all the villagers rushed to the site because our former Agricultural Minister Datuk Ali Ahmad was one of the passengers," said Abdul Latif.
  Ali was the best friend of Abdul Latif's late father, Ahmad Mohd Yatim.  Ali, who was born in Kg Rambah, and much loved and respected by the villagers.
  Also on board were Public Works Department head Datuk Mahfuz Khalid, and Cuban ambassador to Japan Mario García.
  "I was too young to follow my father to the site but I heard stories about how human flesh, body parts and hair were hanging on the mangrove trees.
  "It was horrific.  And in Kebun Teh, before the residential area was fully developed, taxi drivers said they would see headless corpses in the area.
  "In the first five years after the memorial was built, the relatives flocked here.  But now that it has been 37 years since the tragedy, the number of people who come here have grown lesser," he said.
  And no, news of MH370 that went missing on March 8, had not brought the crowd back except perhaps journalists who are out for a fresh news angle.
  Abdul Latif said the younger generation may not even know about the memorial.

A tabebuia rosea tree in Taman Johor Jaya.  Pix by Mary Victoria Dass.

Keseluruhan Saya Cinta Kamu Semua

Hahahahaha!

I'm a little depressed actually.  So am in need of some loving.  

Tomorrow is April 6.  Indonesians working in Malaysia will come out to cast their votes for the 2014 Indonesian legislative election on April 9 to elect members of both national and regional legislatures.  

Tomorrow my story on the Tanjung Kupang crash is expected to come out in the New Sunday Times.  The interview brought back sad memories for the mother of one of the victims of MH653. It upset her quite a bit. My intention was never to cause her any pain. Hope she can forgive me.

Tomorrow is also Qingming Festival.  The actual day is actually today but Qingming, aka "Tomb Sweeping Day" can be observed two weeks before and after the day of the festival.  Tomorrow being a Sunday, the Chinese community, namely Taoists, is expected to be at the graveyards (even though Sunday is not a rest day in Johor).

To Taoist believers, the burning of the paper-made items and "paper money" meant that the departed will be able to receive the items in the other realms or wherever they are right now.

However, Buddhist practitioners believe differently. 

"There is a Chinese saying that ‘no possessions can be brought along to the next existence; the only thing that follows one is his deeds, or ‘karma’ ‘ ( 万般带不去，唯有业随身 ). Furthermore, his relatives and friends only follow the deceased up to the grave, but soon turn to go home, leaving the dead alone in his tomb!

Thus, the burning of cheaply-produced paper models and effigies served as an effective educational tool. Witnessing how fire consumes every ‘former possession’ of the deceased, even an illiterate peasant or young child was able to understand this sense of total relinquishment at death.

Today, this practice is completely misunderstood by the majority of Chinese. Instead of the original meaning, paper-made models have been turned into “paper offerings” – with the mistaken thought that whatever one burns, his departed relatives will obtain in the netherworld!

Hence people nowadays burn paper models of the latest i-Pads, smartphones, LED screens, and “paper money” in inflated sums in order to please the dead. All these will not help the departed ones at all. In fact, this misunderstanding will only harm the living by maintaining their ignorance and delusions.

Instead of burning “paper offerings”, one can perform ‘Dedication of Merits’ (Pāli, ‘Pattidāna’) to help their departed relatives." - source Nalanda Buddhist Society.

Oppressive Day: Is It The Heat?

Had lunch at the Damai Seafood Village restaurant in Kampung Danga, Johor Bahru on this sweltering hot Thursday.

The calm rustic setting did little to placate my quiet anger and disappointment.  Why are some people angry with Malaysia because of a tragedy? I like what these two bloggers wrote.  

http://dharmarajkarthikesan.com/

http://lifeofaannie.blogspot.com/2014/04/china-should-be-better-friend.html

Anyway, I had nasi goreng kampung and refreshing coconut water for lunch.

Here is the story I wrote about the restaurant back in 2012.  I think there is new development in the area. Time to do another report for Johor Streets.

FISHING FOR CUSTOMERS: Damai Seafood Village restaurant not only offers tasty seafood dishes, but also fishing in six ponds on its 11ha site

BE soothed by the rustic setting and kampung ambience as you walk into the Damai Seafood Village.

Located in Kampung Danga, Johor Baru, the restaurant, on a 11ha site,  features six fishing ponds of various sizes, and a menu that offers more than 80 dishes.

Opened since 1998, its 39-year-old owner, Aziz Sadikin Mohd Mandak, took over the running of the restaurant from his elder sister who decided to work as a civil servant after running the business for two years.

It was then known as the Damai Fishermen Camp as the restaurant also offers fishing for anglers.

"I decided to change the name after I took over the business.  Previously, I was working as a chef in a restaurant in Kluang that was run by a Chinese Muslim.

"That was where I learnt Chinese-style cooking.  After I left Kluang, I continued to learn the art of Chinese cooking  from other chefs," he said.

"When I was growing up in Gelang Patah, I developed a passion for cooking as my mother ran a food stall outside our house.

"My mother, who is now 61 years old, was the first person who taught me how to cook," he added.

Aziz  now runs the business with his brother Mohd Sadikin, 40, also a chef  at the restaurant.

"The restaurant has six chefs, two of whom are my brothers-in-law," said Aziz.

His wife, Nurul Izzah Bachok, 26,  works  as a cashier along with six members of her family.

Among the  dishes on the menu are chilli crab, claypot tow foo, siapkap Sri Danga and butter prawns.

"Our fishing ponds are a huge hit with anglers, especially those from Singapore.

The latter are willing to pay as much as RM1,100 for six hours of pleasurable fishing.  

"After that, they do not even get to take their  fish home as we practise the 'catch and release' concept.

"We have a variety of fish sourced from Kukup.

"Some of the fish weigh between 10kg and 60kg.

"The price of fishing vary, as each pond is  different.  

"In some ponds, patrons can catch the fish and have it cooked in our restaurant according to their liking," he said.

The restaurant is open from  noon to 2.30pm for lunch, and from 5.30pm to  midnight for dinner.

On weekends, the opening hours are from noon to midnight.

However, for the month of Ramadan, the opening hours from 4pm to midnight daily, except on Fridays where the restaurant is open from 3pm to midnight.

For more information, call Aziz  at 012-727 1678.

Read more: Facebook Comments - New Straits Times http://www.nst.com.my/get-hooked-by-a-seafood-village-1.112681/facebook-comments-7.160721#ixzz2xov8EucQ

Flat Tyre

Started the day with a flat tyre.  Called Easy Taxi but there were no cabs in the vicinity.  Tried another smart apps My Teksi and managed to get a cab.

I'm blogging using my iPad.  Nearly drove me crazy.  Need some getting use to because it's so different from using a laptop.  

Went to Pekan Nanas in Pontian, Johor, for a "stakeout" later in the day.  Customs enforcement officers recently launched a nationwide blitz on illicit cigarettes.  

Don't sell illegal cigarettes.  Or better still, don't smoke!  I know some people think they're going to die anyway whether they smoke or not.  But if you don't smoke, you get to save money and have better health.  No?

The day may have started with a flat tyre, but the day was anything but flat. There was much to be thankful for.

Modern Policing in Iskandar

By Chuah Bee Kim

Home Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi (left) visiting the CCTV control room at the Seri Alam district police headquarters in Johor Baru.  Briefing him is Johor police chief Datuk Mokhtar Shariff (right).  Pic by Hairul Anuar Abd Rahim

CURBING CRIME: Hi-tech equipment , CCTVS, and more police presence in the pipeline

JOHOR BARU:  THE Iskandar Malaysia development corridor near here will be the first to have a taste of modern policing to bring greater peace of mind.

Home Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said the implementation of the modern policing would come at a cost of billions of ringgit.

It will see more aggressive recruitment of police personnel, use of high-tech equipment such as high-definition closed-circuit television cameras and the setting of more police beat bases, police stations and police headquarters.

Ahmad Zahid said Iskandar Malaysia was chosen because of its high foreign direct investment.

He said all the analogue cameras at crime hot spots would be replaced by digital cameras.

"This also protects policemen who are often accused of being rough towards suspects.  A clear footage could be produced in court to prove whether the policemen were guilty of the act.

"We will also increase police presence by building more police beat bases and police stations in districts," he said at the Seri Alam district police headquarters here yesterday.

Present was Johor police chief Datuk Mokhtar Shariff.

Ahmad Zahid assured the public that their  safety would not be compromised.

"I am aware that the crime index in Johor dipped 10 per cent from last year, but people do not care about the crime index.  The important thing is that the locals and investors living here must feel safe," he said.

Asked when the modern policing would be implemented, Ahmad Zahid said he would like to start it immediately if he could.

"These things take time.  It will be carried out progressively, starting with Iskandar Malaysia, and developed in stages nationwide."

Ahmad Zahid later visited HID Global Sdn Bhd,   which will be providing the security solutions for the modern policing system, at the i-Park  Industrial Area in Bandar Indahpura.

Security checks at the entrance of the iPark Industrial Area in Bandar Indahpura in Kulaijaya

Pic by Chuah Bee Kim

The Catalyst for MCA Re-emergence

24 March 2014

By-election sees MCA revival

By Shahrum Sayuthi

BACK IN ACTION: The enthusiasm of its members is real

AMONG the first to arrive at the polling station at SK Convent Kajang before it opened yesterday was a group of about 30 MCA members.
   Clad in the blues of Barisan Nasional, they placed themselves not far from the centre and started to chant "Satu Malaysia!" and "Menang BN!", providing some excitement for the early voters, waiting for the school gate to be opened by Election Commission officials.
   A short while later, a smaller group of PKR members turned up and gathered at the opposite site of the road and shouted "Reformasi!" and "Menang, Kak Wan!", in reference to their party's candidate, Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail.
   The enthusiasm of the MCA members was very real as they tried to drown the incessant shouts of their PKR rivals.
   Despite Dr Wan Azizah's win yesterday, it was obvious from the PKR's reduced majority that Barisan Nasional, in particular, the much-maligned MCA, had finally got their work together.
   Dr Wan Azizah's 5,379-vote majority was significantly lower than PKR's Lee Chin Cheh who won by 6,824-vote majority, less than a year ago in the 13th General Election (GE13).
   More telling from the outcome of the poll yesterday was the early estimate by observers that suggested BN's candidate Datin Paduka Chew Mei Fun, who is also MCA vice-president, had garnered more than 25 per cent of the Chinese community votes.
   It was a relatively huge improvement from the estimated 10 per cent received from the community by the BN candidate Lee Ban Seng, also from MCA, in the GE13.
   Judging from the MCA's new vigour following its leadership change and the apparently positive response in the by-election, the party may probably be well on the recovery process after the nightmare of the general election's Chinese tsunami last year which reduced its electoral representation to merely seven parliamentary and 11 state seats.
   The positive advances by MCA in the by-election should also spell trouble for Pakatan as the die had been cast that the Chinese voters in particular are no longer buying the opposition coalition's sweeping accusations against the government -- lock, stock and barrel.
   Despite the much-hyped call for Reformasi 2.0 to protest against Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's five-year conviction for sodomy, this could mean that the public had gone weary of the conduct of Pakatan leaders, in particular, the PKR's engineering of the by-election itself.
   The statistics could not lie. Of the 39,287 Kajang voters, only 28,314 or 72 per cent of them bothered to vote in the PKR's engineered by-election as compared to 88.40 per cent in the GE13.
The percentage of voter turnout in Kajang yesterday was also the lowest among by-elections, post GE13, with Kuala Besut by-election recording 79.76 per cent and Sungai Limau, 85 per cent turn-out.
   It should be noted that the other two by-elections held in July and November last year, respectively, were held on a working day instead of a weekend, as in the case for Kajang yesterday.
   The situation may have been different if Dr Wan Azizah's plea for sympathy for her husband's legal issues was before the last general election, where she would probably receive an avalanche of votes.
   Bear in mind that the Kajang by-election was supposed to be Anwar's watershed moment in his quest for the seat of power in Putrajaya.
   Such a pyrrhic victory by his wife in a constituency which is now the bastion of Pakatan could very well mark the end of his life-long quest to be a prime minister.
   Anwar had obviously overestimated his popularity when he decided to proceed with the so-called "Kajang move", a misstep which in all likelihood will mark the end of his political relevancy.
   It would not be easy for him to retain his stature as the head of the opposition following his miscalculation which had also dealt a severe blow upon his allies.
   Pakatan leaders, such as DAP supremo Lim Kit Siang, had during the campaigning period repeatedly expressed his conviction that Chew would be totally crushed and even lose her deposit.
   It was a "loss of face" for the veteran politician for uttering such an arrogant remark as the voters, especially among the Chinese community who had overwhelmingly supported DAP and its allies during the general election last year, proved themselves to be more discerning this time.
   Whether Pakatan may recover from the setback will be a question to ponder for quite awhile, but what is certain is that Anwar's desperate attempt at stimulating his ebbing efforts for power had been dealt with a severe, if not fatal, blow by his own engineered by-election.

Read more: By-election sees MCA revival - Columnist - New Straits Times http://www.nst.com.my/opinion/columnist/by-election-sees-mca-revival-1.529040#ixzz2ws6NpmiW