Happy Onam

"Vanakkam"

Enjoyed a vegetarian lunch with 11 types of dishes at the home of Dave A. Madhavan, a JohorFM deejay at Radio Televisyen Malaysia (RTM).

If you tune into 101.9mhz on Wednesday to Friday from 6am to 10am, you will know who Dave is.

The dishes were cooked by Dave's lovely wife, Usha Devi in celebration of the Onam, a major harvest festival that is celebrated annually by the Malayalees.

This is Dave (left) with Usha Devi and the couple's five children and other relatives.

I love this shot of Mary with a baby. The tyke is Usha Devi's sister's four-month-old daughter.

And that's me with Mary, Dave and Usha Devi just as we were about to tuck into the home-cooked vegetarian cuisine. Such a blessed day.

Taubat

Norman Fernandez, former Johor DAP state deputy chairman felt like venting and dropped me a text message.  He had said before that Pas is a danger to non-Muslims and an untrustworthy partner of Pakatan Rakyat.

Seeing the unfolding of the Selangor political mess, Norman said it felt poetic that his prophesy is coming true.

"If Karpal Singh were alive, he would have one word of Hadi Awang --- TAUBAT".

- Norman Fernandez 

DAP SEDARKAH SIAPA SEBENARNYA PAS DAN HADI AWANG.

Semasa pilihanraya umum ke-13, saya sebagai Timbalan Pengerusi DAP Johor telah mengejutkan ramai apabila saya membuat pengumuman terbuka bahawa PAS parti yang tidak boleh dipercayai dan juga menyatakan alasan betapa bahayanya PAS kepada masyarakat bukan Islam. Akibatnya, saya menerima kritikan dari ramai khususnya penyokong-penyokong Pakatan Rakyat dan ahli-ahli DAP. Malahan, Penasihat Kebangsaan DAP, En.Lim Kit Siang turut memarahi saya dan menyatakan saya tidak wajar menyatakan pendirian saya secara terbuka yang bercanggah dengan parti kerana ia akan memberi tempias kepada DAP dan Pakatan Rakyat.

Melihat kepada kemelut politik yang melanda Selangor dan mengamati tindakan-tindakan PAS sepanjang kemelut yang masih belum selesai ini serta melihat segala semua yang telah dilakukan Presiden PAS Hadi Awang, adalah jelas apa yang saya telah dedahkan tentang PAS dan Hadi Awang kini terbukti benar. Mungkin elok jika pembela-pembela tegar PAS dalam DAP dan Lim Kit Siang meminta maaf kepada saya dan lebih daripada itu merendah dan meminta maaf dari rakyat, khususnya penggundi-penggundi yang telah diyakinkan DAP untuk mengundi PAS.

Lihat sahaja dolak-dalih PAS dalam saga kemelut politik isu memilih Menteri Besar mengganti Khalid Ibrahim. Sepanjang kemelut, saban hari kita disajikan 'flip-flop' PAS dalam mencalunkan calun cadangan PAS. Kita juga telah melihat betapa kentalnya chauvisnisma dan sexisma PAS dan Hadi Awang terhadap wanita. Tetapi, yang menggondol piala ialah tindakan terbaru Hadi Awang yang secara unilateral dan tanpa berbincang atau merujuk kepada Jawatankuasa Tertinggi PAS menghantar nama-nama yang dipilih Hadi Awang sendiri sebagai calun cadangan PAS untuk jawatan Menteri Besar Selangor.

Semua ini perlu membawa satu kesedaran bahawa  Hadi Awang dan PAS sememangnya tidak boleh dipercayai. PAS tidak boleh pakat dan PAS tidak tahu apa maksud Pakatan. Bukankah sebelum ini Hadi Awang yang menjadi kausa retak dan pecah Barisan Alternatif, bukankah Hadi Awang yang mengintai kerajaan perpaduan bersama UMNO biarpun PAS mencapai kemenangan bersama Pakatan Rakyat dan bukankah Hadi Awang yang telah mencampak ketepi Common Policy Platform Pakatan Rakyat. Malahan semua yang dilakukan Hadi Awang menjadikan Pakatan Rakyat sudah menjadi  retak dan hanya menunggu belah.

Kesimpulannya, DAP yang selama ini menjadi apologis untuk PAS dan menjadi pembela tegar Hadi Awang, wajib sekarang menyatakan pendiriannya. Jika DAP masih mahu bersama PAS dan Hadi Awang dan jika DAP masih berdiri teguh bersama PAS dan setia dibelakang Hadi Awang maka DAP mesti bersedia menerima padah dan tempias pengundi di Pilihanraya Umum Ke-14.

*Norman Fernandez adalah mantan Timbalan Pengerusi DAP dan bekas ahli DAP.

Set Up Your Own Website If You Own A Business

Axera Technology owner, Sadiah Abu Nawas, 45, lives in Pontian with her husband. The couple has two grown-up daughters. She shares her views on the need for entrepreneurs to have a website. And Sadiah also says: "Work Hard and Work Smart: Don't Let The Pressure Kill You."

That's Sadiah (standing) and this is what she has to say ...

HAVING your own website is not a trend anymore; it is a necessity if you want more customers to know about your business, products, and services.

Other than a website, you also need a blog, Facebook page and other social networking sites where you can link them.

Think of the website domain as a shopping mall and all your other social networking sites are the tenants inside the mall.

I am someone who did not know about all these things before 2009.

I do not have an information technology background, but I was determined to learn.

Now I collaborate with Mynic, an agency under the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) which promotes and regulates the communications and multimedia industry in offering classes to the public at a very attractive rate of RM350 for domain registration and hosting throughout the year.

After that, one has to pay a renewal fee if they want to keep the website.

There is a workshop coming up on Sept 20 to be conducted at the Centre for Information and Communication Technology (CICT) at the Universiti Teknology Malaysia (UTM) from 9am to 5.30pm for those who want to know how to set up their own websites.

Because this programme has the support of the government, they are offering people to learn a skill at low cost.

To learn this skill, a website designer can charge anything from RM700 to RM3,000 depending on the content and features of your website.

I believe it is better to acquire the skills instead of getting someone else to do it for you.

Even if you eventually decide to get someone else to update your website, at least you’ll have the basic knowledge on how to do it.

I believe in working hard as well as working smart.

Everyone faces pressure in their occupation — the office worker, the professional, the trader, the entrepreneur.

Each person is presented with a different set of challenges.

I know a seamstress who had passed away because she was overwhelmed by stress due to the huge orders that she received.

At times, after working day and night to fulfil the orders, the client did not show up to collect the order.

All these little pressures eventually killed the seamstress.

This incident happened some time ago but it is a lesson to learn and remember.

I shall stress again: work hard and work smart.

No matter how great the pressure is, how heavy the burden, just relax and smile!

And do find the time to learn a new skill.

I really cannot remember the number of people who have gone through the course over the years but I know they comprise all races and ages.

-sourced from NST

Indulgent Deals For Tourists

 

by Chuah Bee Kim

JOHOR BARU: URUS I Event Wangle Enterprise is working with the Johor state government and other tourism-related agencies, namely Johor Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (Matta) and the Johor Tourism Department to stage Black Box Studio Seniman Johor Baru.

Its manager, Yunos Bakar, 60, said the company has drawn up a package for foreign and local tourists where they can enjoy a meal and watch a cultural and heritage performance at the Restoran Singgah Selalu at Jalan Skudai here.

Yunos said there are three packages available.

“There is a package where guests can have lunch and watch the dance performance priced at RM50 for adults and RM35 per child aged seven to 12.

“Guests can enjoy a buffet spread. After their meal, they can watch our dancers perform zapin, cerapat inai, masri Sarah, joget Johor Sports Club and the ghazal.”

The performances will be held daily from Saturday to Wednesday at about noon.

“From Thursday to the weekends, we do not have shows but it can be arranged by special request,” Yunos said.

Calling themselves the Black Box Dancers, the group comprised eight dancers, a choreographer and a production manager.

There is also a package for high tea beginning at 3.30pm priced at RM30 for adults and RM20 (children). For dinner, guests can enjoy a set dinner priced at RM60 (adult) and RM35 (child). Both packages come with a show.

For those who only want to enjoy the show, the price is RM25 for adults and RM15 for children.

The seating capacity at the studio, located inside the 24-hour restaurant, is 100 people.

For details, call Yunos at 012-708 1 709.

- sourced from NST online

Clogged Drains and Rubbish

sourced from NST online

JOHOR BARU: THE Rotarian Action Group (RAG) is calling on the authorities to look into several areas in the city where there are potential breeding grounds for Aedes mosquitoes.

RAG secretary John Cheah named areas such as Taman Sentosa and Jalan Susur Tun Abdul Razak where the drains are clogged up and rubbish are strewn everywhere.

Cheah said he had highlighted the matter to the authorities, but to no avail.

“It takes mosquito larvae about a week to reach adulthood,” he said.

“The clogged drains and rubbish spotted in the two areas have been there for more than three weeks.

 pic by Dazar Suarman

“The authorities should spring into action immediately to clear the rubbish.”

A recent Health Ministry report stated that there were 42,229 dengue cases in the country from January to June. This is an increase of 248 per cent, compared with 12,143 cases in the corresponding period last year.

Cheah also highlighted a report in the Straits Times which quoted Singapore Environment and Water Resources Minister Vivian Balakrishnan as saying that the new dengue vaccine to be marketed by a French pharmaceutical company Sanofi next year was “not good enough”.

Balakrishnan had reportedly said that the vaccine was not effective enough against the two most common types of the dengue virus here — types 1 and 2.

Cheah also called on researchers, academician, engineers, doctors and lecturers to attend a two-day international conference called Second International Conference on Dengue Fever, Situation and Its Control, which starts on Sept 20, to learn ways to fight the epidemic.

The event is organised by Universiti Teknologi Malaysia with the support of the Institution of Engineers Malaysia and Rotary International District 3310.

It is taking place at the university’s Dewan Sultan Iskandar.

The speakers include University of Phayao associate professor Dr Busabong Jamroendararasama and Chiang Mai University associate prof Dr Nopporn Sittisombat, both from Thailand.

“Speakers from Thailand and the Philippines are coming to the event to share their knowledge on dengue. The conference will help us to learn more about combating dengue,” Cheah said.

The conference is priced at RM300 per participant for locals and US$100 (RM318.45) for foreign participants.

For enquiries, call Dr Shamila Azman at 07-556 6157 or Lucas Chew 017-777 7648.

Bouquets and Brickbats For Time Limit Parking

Cars parked illegally in front of the Johor Baru City Council. Pic by Nur Aisyah Mazalan.

by Chuah Bee Kim

sourced from NST online

This is My Say on the matter. What is yours?

THE Johor Baru City Council’s proposal to introduce time-limit parking has received praises and criticisms.

Those who are working in Singapore and have to park their cars near the Sultan Iskandar building before heading for the Customs, Immigration and Quarantine (CIQ) complex to take a bus to work in the republic, are of course, unhappy with the proposal.

They would need to make alternative plans, should such a law be implemented.

The local council came up with this proposal to emulate cities like Melbourne and Adelaide in Australia and Vancouver, Canada.

The cosmopolitan cities have to introduce this system to free up parking bays for others.

In a city like London, for instance, it is common to pay £40 (about RM210), a day to park their vehicles.

In Malaysia, people are unhappy when they have to pay RM20 for parking their car for a day.

It is not only an inconvenience to those who work in Singapore, even reporters will find it burdensome if there is a time limit.

If we were assigned to cover court cases, we do not know when a session will end.

Sometimes, a case is scheduled for 9am, but if the magistrate or judge is not available or the accused or witness is late, the case will be delayed.

Unforseen circumstances often crops up. A hearing can drag on until 3pm.

If would be a problem for us if time-limit parking were imposed.

Nevertheless, it will not affect me because I seldom drive to the city anyway. It is more convenient to hop onto a bus which will take me to the city, so why should I drive and worry about parking?

For those who do need to drive to Johor Baru, or the occasional shopper for instance, will welcome the idea of time-limit zones as it will be easier to find a parking spot.

A shopper will not spend the entire day in a shopping mall, or their purse will soon become very thin.

So having a time limit is good for a spendthrift shopaholic.

Like everything else, there will always be those who like the idea and those who are against it. You cannot please everyone.

But now the question is, does the local council have the manpower to enforce it?

For a long time, there have been complaints about business operators who place chairs, tables and cones on the roads, yet nothing has changed, except for the occasional raids.

There are endless complaints of of rampant double parking and other forms of illegal parking in the city, yet the problems persist.

If you complain about an overgrown tree, it will take some time before any action is taken.

How many skylifts does MBJB have? How many workers?

All these need to be looked into and carefully considered if Johor Baru wants to look anything like Melbourne.

It is common practice for cars to park on double yellow lines.