Saturday, July 12, 2014

VEP on Singapore-registered vehicles

JOHOR BARU: Johor Baru member of parliament Tan Sri Shahrir Samad today called on the Federal government to overcome whatever issues that are hindering the implementation of Vehicle Entry Permits on Singapore-registered cars entering the state.

"The Federal government should overcome all the issues that caused the plan to be put on hold," he said, adding that the plan was abandoned in the past.

Shahrir, who is also Iskandar Regional Development Authority advisor, said the money collected could be used for maintenance of roads which need repairs due to the increasing number of cars, including foreign registered vehicles.

The veteran politician was speaking to reporters at the IQuiz which is jointly organised by Rotary Club Bandar Sunway and Rotary Club of Johor Baru Sentral here today.    - NST online

Friday, July 11, 2014

Find Me A Home


Pic by NST photographer Zulkarnain Ahmad Tajuddin. 

Everyone can take photographs but not everyone can be a photographer. I absolutely love this shot. 

There's also a lot of talk about saving strays, and it's all just talk. I also don't do much except talk.

Seriously, let's put our hearts and heads together and do something that can stop the suffering of strays.

May all strays find a place they can call home. 

My Son, John


Peter Soo, 60, is a retired teacher who lives at Taman Kerjasama, Kluang. He is pictured here with his son, John. Story sourced from NST online.

I can now heave a sigh of relief. My son, John, had graduated on June 30 with a Bachelor of Science (First Class Honours) in Physics from the National University of Singapore, where he had obtained a scholarship from the Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

He is now furthering his studies at a top-ranking university in the United Kingdom where he is pursuing a PhD in Astrophysics.

He had also received a MyBrainSc scholarship from our Education Ministry which enables him to complete his PhD in the UK but on the condition that he comes back to Malaysia to serve the government.

John assured me that he would come back as he wants to be in the field of education, like me.

John told me: “I believe in the potential of Malaysian students.

“My vision is to become a physics lecturer in the local universities, to encourage and inspire the future scientists to do great things for Malaysia.”

My wife, Khoo Bee Lee, 56, and I are so proud of John and so glad that he is our son.

We may not be in such a state of joy now if we had not made the decision to adopt John back in 1999.

John lost his father in a car crash when he was still in kindergarten. His mother was suffering from cancer.

Bee Lee knew John’s mother because they attended the same church.

Before John’s mother lost her 
battle with cancer, she wrote a will.

The only thing she asked of us was for John to be given a tertiary education.

I am glad to say that not only is John a grateful boy, he is also very bright.

If I were made to choose, I would say being grateful is more important than being smart.

Since John has both, I feel that we are indeed blessed.

My wife and I just gave him our love and treated him like our own flesh and blood.

After John came into our family, Bee Lee got pregnant.

Our daughter, Soo Jacinth, is now 14 and gets along well with John, who is 24.

Although I am 60, I, too, am pursuing a PhD.

Now John and I are competing with each other to see who gets the PhD first.

I believe a father can turn a boy into a good man.

I learnt how to be good from my father, who led by example.

He moulded me into what I am today, and for that, I am grateful to dad.

For couples who are childless, 
I want to say this to them: Have faith. My John turned out fine.

I would say more than fine.

I know there are stories of adopted children who failed to show gratitude and caused pain to their families.

I have also heard stories of foster parents who regret their decisions later in life.

But there are also positive stories, like mine, for instance.

There are children out there who have lost their parents.

Give these kids a chance in life, if you can.


Thursday, July 10, 2014

Partings


We had so much fun at the R&R Bistro in Bandar Baru Uda, Johor Bahru, tonight.

It was a farewell gathering organised for these two ladies.


Siti Nadirah Hafidzin (left) and Nur Aisyah Mazalan, both 26.

Dira is going back to the headquarters in Kuala Lumpur while Aisyah will be joining another local daily, and will probably be based in Kuala Lumpur. 

“Every meeting led to a parting, and so it would, as long as life was mortal. In every meeting there was some of the sorrow of parting, but in everything parting there was some of the joy of meeting as well.” Cassandra Clare,
Clockwork Princess


The pain of parting is nothing to the joy of meeting again.

Dira, Aisyah and Mary Victoria Dass.


Good night, good night! Parting is such sweet sorrow, that I shall say good night till it be morrow.

William Shakespeare

Bertemu dan berpisah adalah adat manusia biasa, hilang di mata tapi hati tidak lupa.

Si Barbie Sulu

Blur

My favourite blogger Annie started her blog post Friends calling herself  "blur".

I don't think anyone can beat me in that department.  Shortly after leaving my house this morning for work, I suddenly realised I didn't bring my press kit.  I went back home.  Luckily I had just started my journey.  As soon as I went into the house, I saw the press kit and beside the press kit was my hangbag.

If I didn't remember my press kit, I probably would have to "puasa" for the rest of the day.

Speaking of puasa, I'm attending a special "buka puasa" gathering tonight.  It's not only the breaking of fast for my Muslim friends, it is also to bid farewell to two workmates.  More on that in another post.

Meanwhile, my story on stray cats saw print today in the Johor Streets.


JOHOR BARU: Stray cats are getting a taste of the spirit of sharing as feline lovers feed them near the Taman Perling Ramadan bazaar close to the Taman Perling wet market here every night.

  "There are many kind-hearted souls among the local community here.  There is an elderly couple who bring food to the strays quite regularly, and it is not only during the Ramadan month," said veterinarian Dr Edwin Singam.

  Dr Singam, who is also the deputy chairman of the Johor Baru Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA), said every evening, the stray cats would converge in the area knowing that people who come to the Ramadan Bazaar will give them some food.

  Dr Singam said the non-governmental organisations such as Noah's Ark Natural Animal Sanctuary (NANAS) and the SPCA have been picking up cats here to neutering them to curb the stray population.

  "As most animal shelters are already full, we put the strays back into the streets while we try to organise adoption campaigns.

  "Our campaigns have been quite successful.  In the last adoption campaign that was held in KipMart Tampoi, 50 stray cats found new homes," he said.

  Dr Singam said this was the best way to help the strays.

  "There must be other alternatives besides killing them.  But we need dedicated volunteers.  Volunteers who will collect the strays from the streets, send them for neutering, and help to find homes for them," he said.

  Siti Nurhayati Bakar, 35, a mother of three, said she understood the suffering of hunger, especially in the month of Ramadan.

  "As we Muslims fast, we know what it is like to go hungry.  These cats do not ask to be strays.
  "They already do not have a home with guardians to love and care for them.  They are deprived of food.  The worst thing a human can do is to harm them," Siti Nurhayati said.

Wednesday, July 9, 2014

Fairer Chance Before Pontius Pilate



JOHOR BARU: FORMER Johor DAP deputy chairman Norman Fernandez said he would have a fairer chance before Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor who had Jesus crucified, than at DAP’s disciplinary committee.

Fernandez quit his party membership after the party leadership voted on Saturday to refer him to a disciplinary panel over his Facebook posts, which they deemed compromising to the party’s image.

“There is no way they are going to give me a fair hearing.”

Fernandez pointed out that during the meeting on Saturday, non-commitee members of the state DAP leaders, namely Liow Cai Tung (Johor Jaya assemblyman), Cheo Yee How (Pengkalan Rinting) and Yeo Tung Siong (Pekan Nanas) cast votes to refer him to the disciplinary panel.

He said although DAP supremo Lim Kit Siang did not vote, his presence at the meeting was enough to cause detriment.

“There is growing hypocrisy among DAP leaders. I have been searching my conscience for some time, possibly before the last general election, and I don’t want to be part of a party that has become subservient to Pas,” he said in reference to DAP’s and Pas’ alliance in the opposition coalition.
Fernandez said he was not planning to join Gerakan as speculated by certain quarters.

“The thought never crossed my mind, and the speculation probably came about because I support multi culturalism.”

Fernandez, who blogs at Normanfernandez.blogspot.com, said he refrained from blogging for the past 3 ½ years because of the fear of antagonising DAP.

However, now that he was just a member of the public, Fernandez said he would start blogging again.
Fernandez served as the Johor deputy chairman for one term.


Some additional info where Fernandez, who joined DAP officially in 1996, also told me that he started supporting DAP when he was 11.
  "At the age of 16, I was already helping out the party wherever and whenever I can.  When Lim Kit Siang's first book "Time Bombs in Malaysia" came out in 1978, I saved 20 sen of my pocket money everyday until it reached RM10 to buy the book."