Yellow Umbrella

There was a horrific traffic congestion along Jalan Skudai in Johor Bahru after a heavy downpour.  The city really has flood mitigation issues.

Flash flood also occurred at Kampung Pasir, Tampoi, which affected some 50 families living there and the four surrounding villages nearby. Among them was Kampung Asam Paya where firemen had to rush to the scene to assist. I believe no one was hurt.

The water receded at a fairly fast pace at Kampung Pasir. I got to walk bare-foot in the rain. It was quite fun. Saw a centipede scurrying along the road as the water receded.

Haah ... A wet day but it didn't dampen my spirit one little bit.

Come rain or shine, we must continue our journey with a smile.  This one is for Hoon, who lost her battle with cancer today.  I don't know her full name but I doubt I would ever forget Hoon who always showed a cheerful disposition and unwavering faith. 

Farewell, Hoon. 

Solidarity, Muktamar and VEP

Johor Pakatan members showing their solidarity at a Press conference in Johor Baru today and called on the national level to do the same as the focus of the Opposition coalition is the rakyat and not on personal whims.

However, they believed the Selangor political crisis will soon be over and a new chapter will soon begin which will see an even stronger coalition.

Pas is also gearing up for its 60th annual general meeting, which the party calls a Muktamar (Arabic term).  It is the 1st time, the Muktamar is held in Johor which is also coincidentally, Johor Pas' 60th anniversary.  A Muktamar is normally only held in states governed by the Islamic party.

The Muktamar will see the attendance of international participants and there will be cultural performances throughout the three-day gathering beginning Sept 18, to be held at Parit Salleh Ros in Parit Raja, Batu Pahat.

There will also be other gatherings in the IOI Resort in Kulaijaya (Sept 17); Dewan Choon Moi, Kota Tinggi (Sept 16 and 17) and Pulai Springs Resort, Johor Baru (Sept 17).

On  Sept 18 at 9am in the gathering at Pairt Salleh Ros, the party president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang will lay down all its strategies for the year.

Meanwhile, on another matter, Pakatan Rakyat called for Malaysians driving a Singapore-registered car into the republic to be exempted from Vehicle Entry Permit charges, which will be implemented next year on foreign-registered vehicles. 

Johor opposition leader Dr Boo Cheng Hau said the locals head to the republic to work from 5am to about 9pm, and they are contributing to the state's economy when they bring the money back to spend. Dr Boo said the steps taken by the government to impose VEP charges and toll hike was not rakyat-friendly and would add to the people's burden.

On time limit parking which the MBJB is proposing, Pakatan Rakyat says that it could work to free up parking congestion in the city but also called for stage bus services to be upgraded, namely, to provide services to more housing estates.
 

Blissfully Married

Deejay Dave, 55, of 101.9mhz is married to C. Usha Devi, 52, and the couple have 5 children.  Dave, who hails from Kluang now lives in Taman Damansara Aliff.

Dave and his wife, daughter and mother-in-law celebrating Onam at home.

by Dave A. Madhavan

I LIVE in Taman Damansara Aliff, Johor Baru, with my wife, youngest daughter and mother-in-law.

During festivals, all my sons and daughters will come back.

Like the Onam, for instance, a harvest festival widely celebrated only by the Malayalees, the house will be filled with merriment and joy.

My wife, C. Usha Devi, will prepare 11 vegetarian dishes for the occasion.

For Onam, we must always have either 11, 13 or 15 types of dishes.

The number of dishes must be in odd numbers.

The meal consists of payasam and pradhaman which are milk or coconut milk-based desserts made from bananas, jackfruit, rice, green-gram, dhal, broken wheat or other items.

Usha would start cooking the dishes from 8am and be done by 1pm.

The meal would then be served on a banana leaf.

My daughters would help out at the kitchen while I would be given the “hardest” task — peeling onions and garlic.

Usha, a nurse at the Johor Specialist Hospital, is a very good cook.

I love her cooking. We have been married since 1986, and we have five beautiful children — two sons and three daughters.

While we would be busy preparing the meals, my sons would be busy preparing a clay cone to be placed in the middle of the kolam design at the porch. Flower petals are also strewn on the kolam.

The boys would then make preparations for the ritual observed during Onam.

My sons have to dig the mud from the soil to make the clay figure. The clay cone symbolised the legendary King Mahabali.

The whole family then gathers at the porch to light the lamp which signifies the welcoming of King Mahabali who brings wealth into the household.

I joined Radio Televisyen Malaysia in 1982, where I was based in Johor Baru until 2007.

From 2007 to 2009, I was based in Kuala Lumpur.

During the three years I was based there, I missed my home so much even though I enjoyed my job.

Although my wife and I have been married for 28 years, our love for each other is as strong as the day we met. The secret to a blissful marriage is trust. Don’t hide anything from your spouse.

Being a deejay on JohorFM and KLFM, I have many fans. There were some who wanted to get to know me better.

I have fans asking me: “Abang Dave dah kahwin belum?” (Dave, are you married?)

My wife does not get jealous or angry when I tell her about them.

And that is because she trusts me.

I am also known as the “Unity Deejay”, being the only non-Muslim deejay of 101.9FM.

I am on air from 6am to 10am from Wednesday to Friday.

During my leisure time, I also work as an emcee.

I have been the emcee of the World Kite Festival annually for the past 18 years.

Being a deejay, it is essential to know several languages.

I can converse in Malay, English and Tamil and also speak a smattering of Mandarin.

My youngest son attends a Chinese school.

- sourced from NST online

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