Starting the Day

Woke up at 6am. Going to be a busy day as I have 3 stories to work on.  One concerns HIV patients and their plea for "equal rights not special rights".  No one wants to be a sex worker but sometimes they are forced by life's circumstances.  

Another story will be about one of my favourite subjects

The Johor Baru Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) would like to work with local councils on the sterilization of stray dogs in the city.  The NGO understands that stray dogs have to be killed as they can be hostile and become a threat to people but SPCA is appealing to the local authorities to be more humane in its euthanisation method.

I sincerely hope the local authorities will agree to work with SPCA and that SPCA will step up efforts to educate the public, namely dog owners, on how to be responsible guardians.

And my last assignment is a food write-up on an Arabian restaurant. How cool is that? I can't seem to find my waistline anymore but I'll worry about that after the food tasting.

Need to get ready for work now. Have a good day, everyone.

Springtime In The Tropics

Tabebuia rosea blossoming all over Malaysia.  Pic by Esther Teo

I didn't know much about this flower species until yesterday.

After doing some research, I learnt that the Tabebuia rosea aka trumpet rose tree is a tropical tree that is widely planted along city and residential streets all over Malaysia.

Johor Malaysian Nature Society (MNS) chairman Vincent Chow, in his FB site, said the tree is native to Central and South America and is popularly planted along roadsides and as a garden ornamental plant.

In Malaysia, Tabebuia is also known as the “Cherry Blossoms of Penang” after its pink flowers which are much like the cherry blossoms of Japan.

Other local nicknames for the plant include “tissue paper tree”, referring to its thin petals.
The tree is also known as ipê rosa in South American countries.

"When the wind blows, the falling white blooms give one a feeling that it is snowing,"says Vincent.

However, the time to enjoy the blooms is limited.  See it before it's over!

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.