New Year 2011 Countdown at Sunway Carnival, Seberang Jaya, Seberang Perai, Penang with Wana, Ahli Fiqir and Thomas

Wishing you a Happy New Year 2011.  Bigfoothill and family went to Sunway Carnival Shopping mall for window shopping and to usher in the New Year instead of original plan to go to the Penang Island for the New Year Countdown as the traffic was heavy and building up when we proceeded from Bukit Mertajam towards the Penang Bridge.  Teen Idol Singing Competition was held at Sunway Carnival Shopping Main Lobby where the Christmas and New Year programs are being staged there with some artificial snows pouring out from the higher levels of the shopping mall to usher in the New Year 2011.

International Superstars ans singing sensations such as Thomas Shi Wen Yew, Wana Mystarz LG and Daly Ahli Fiqir also graced the occasion.  Thomas sang a brand new song from his new Single album for 2011.

The rap and hip-hop group, Ahli Fiqir, sang an unreleased new rap song to wow the crowd.

The lovely female artiste, Miss Wana, came on as the final artiste to grace the New Year 2011 Countdown at Sunway Carnival shopping mall. She greeted Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to the audience and shoppers and Happy Holiday. Thanks to the Malaysian Football team for winning the AFF Suzuki Cup for the fist time in years.  She was very friendly and talked to the audience and even came down the stage to be close with the crowd and asked the audience to sing along with her. She specially dedicated this song to the guy with the hair standing. Who else? She sang a very lovely reggae song titled Ordinary People. I thought she was talking to the guy behind me but there was no other guy with standing straight hair. She then said it is me,Bigfoothill!
  

Wishing You Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas to you and family.  It is time of the year again to be celebrating birthday of Jesus.  For many, it is shopping time or holiday time or party time and be merry.  Here are some highlights to share with you. Go to your local Church this Christmas and find the true meaning of Christmas and meet Jesus and his big family. You are always welcome to BMBC as you can see even the Nigerians are here.

Christmas Celebration Showtime at Sunway Carnival, Penang

Merry Christmas and May God Bless You.  After the Sunday Worship Service at Bukit Mertajam Baptist Church or BMBC last Sunday December 19, 2010, Me and family had gone for lunch and went to the Penang State Library before dropping by the Sunway Carnival Shopping Mall at Seberang Jaya for some light refreshments and window shopping.  The shopping mall was busy with Christmas Celebration and Malaysia Year End Sales Carnival. I was about to look for a corner to rest when suddenly the special Merry Christmas & New Year Celebration entertainment program came to live at the main stage of the shopping lobby.  Thank goodness, I brought along my Sony Video handy camera and ready to capture this dance performance by the local artists. Watch these beautiful and lovely ladies and handsome guys perform the two numbers, All That Jazz and All I Want For Christmas Is You. Hope you have a wonderful time watching the show although the clips are shaky due to zooming with the handy camera.

If you are looking forward to celebrate a Blessed and a Joyous Christmas with Jesus, let me invite you to BMBC or Bukit Mertajam Baptist Church located at address no. 2209, Jalan Kulim, 14000 BUKIT MERTAJAM, SEBERANG PERAI, PULAU PINANG for a Christmas Eve's Dinner and Worship Service at the Church on Friday December 24, 2010 at 6.30pm if you are to visit Big Foot Hill or BM or Bukit Mertajam in Penang, Malaysia.


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By the way, another acronym for BMBC is which when translated from Malay language to English is "Eat A Lot, Talk A Lot"...so come to BMBC and find out...friends.  
You can also join BMBC Facebook by the link here

Oh yes... you can meet what a friend we have in Jesus on this Special Christmas day when our BMBC Malay language Congregation is having their Christmas' Day Celebration and Worship Service on Saturday December 25, 2010 at the same Church premises.  Please call 04-5391854 for Pastor Jack or Brother Jeff for the details.

Chief Minister, Prime Minister, Yes Minister, Do You Like Reading? Come to Penang State Library at Seberang Jaya town

Hello readers. Have you been to a local library in the neighborhood?  If you have not, please check it out at our Penang State Library 

The Penang Library is the first library open to the public for subscription in Malaysia since 1817.  On August 7, 1972, the Penang State Legislative Assembly passed an Enactment to make it a Statutory body that will provide the library amenities and services to the public and took over the role and administration of Penang Library beginning January 1973.

Today, the library is not just a place for you to borrow books.  It is fully air-conditioned and is very cold inside on a rainy day.  You can use the wireless facility to go to the internet or bring your kids to have learning fun at the educational games using the electronic medias.  If you need to start the little ones to have the reading habit, you can start them at the children corner.  It will be a great day for family outing without too much distractions and spending unnecessarily money on shopping trips to the local hypermarkets or bookstores there, as all you may need is to borrow those books or your favorite cooking or home furnishing bulletins and then return it when you finished reading.


Oh yes, about returning the book is so easy nowadays.  It is as easy as you go to the post-office to mail the letter on the post-box or just like going to the local bank to deposit a check at the check deposit machines and you collect the receipt as evidence of returned books or bulletins after you drop it into the kiosk standing outside the State Library premises - see picture of the kiosk. So guys and gals and parents, you can just do it (NIKE) on any day and any time rain or shine.. just like you go to the McDonald's drive through.  By the way, the library is open on Sundays except public holidays and State gazetted holidays.  See picture of the opening hours stated on the wall.

To start you on this healthy habits,  you can enroll on individual membership at RM2.00 (Ringgit Malaysia Two only) and at RM1.00(Ringgit Malaysia One only) for student or at RM5.00(Ringgit Malaysia Five only) for the whole family package.

For individual members, each one is entitled to borrow four books at one go plus a bulletin for adult members but only four books and no bulletin for the children for two weeks and renew it again for another two weeks.  Please check it out yourself and you will love to comeback again and again to get more knowledge and reading pleasures at the Public library

As for me and family, I have been borrowing books there and especially on the books on learning HTML, XML, create websites, Window and on internet and computers and etc.  However, there are instances where they do not have the latest books that you may be looking forward to read.  Therefore, you may have to go to the bookstores to satisfy your search and buy it for reading and keep as reference and personal library collection.

Anyway, The Malaysian government took pity on us poor citizens that they allowed us tax rebate for purchased of books to enrich ourselves.  Come on fellow Malaysians, please buy original books and do not photostat the books as we may infringe copyrights and robbed the writers and authors of the livelihoods.  It is common practice by many parents and tuition teachers or tuition centers to borrow books from friends and then photostat in bulks.  It is understandable for the underprivileged children and parents but not those who can afford to send their children from this tuition center to that tuition center and what not.

With the advancement in technology so rapid, soon we will be reading more e-books as the internet users ratio to citizen in Malaysia is bound to increase as more children are exposed to computer literacy through schools and education.

Oh before I detour from the main library function, I am a little sad and sorry to see what I see as I walkabout the surrounding while waiting for my family to finish their business at the library.  The whole building was sinking...sinking that it is deepening day by day. If you have been a resident here long enough, you will probably remember that this town is one of the brainchild satellite township inspired by former Chief Minister, the late Tun Lim Chong Eu. This land where the building was built was part of the vast swampy lands on the Mainland known as Province Wellesley. Yet, I understand from one of the librarians that they have requested for the budget to repair the building structure but they have not heard from the government for months pending the approval.

Look, the handicapped persons on wheel-chairs will find it very troubling and dangerous to get to the library as the ramp or the sloping pathway to the main entrance from the front of the building  has sunken at least 3cm and making it uneven and difficult to move up.  My Dear Chief Minister of Penang, The Honorable Mr Lim Guan Eng and My Dear Prime Minister of One Malaysia, Datuk Seri Najib and his beloved wife, The Compassionate Chairperson who champions the welfare of the less fortunate by virtue of her status as wife of the Malaysian Prime Minister, and My Dear Minister in the Prime Minister's Department, YB Tan Sri Nor Mohamed Yackop,  please ..please work on this immediately as knowledge is wealth and we do not need the bureaucracy and politicking to get the repair job done right now before some wonderful assets and lives loss through the sinking or collapsing of the entire building like The Titanic ship.

Note: The building was officially launch open by another former Chief Minister of Penang state, YB Tan Sri Koh Tsu Koon on 31st March, 2000 when he was the Chief Minister (from People's Movement Party, a component of the National Front Coalition party then before he was succeeded by the present Chief Minister from the Democratic Action Party (DAP).

Side view of the Penang State Library

Operation hours notification on the wall at the main gate

State Library main gate view

The Book kiosk for easy drop and go return of books borrowed

The three flags - The National flag of Malaysia, the Penang State Flag and the Library flag harmoniously flying high

Outside the library

The cool green garden at the compound

The sinking ground caused uneven level at the access pathway for the less fortunate

Sinking like Titanic?

Main Entrance to Enter here

Plaque commemorating the launch by the then Chief Minister

Spacious and cool inside the main lobby

The registration counter manned by friendly staff to help you

Book your Tea or Coffee

Cafe inside the library

Out exit with security scanner

The stairways to Auditorium

Upper floor cafe area ideal for holding seminars and serving light refreshment

A peep inside the Auditorium where the Music Competition was held

Broken stairs caused by sinking and subsidence

A huge gap at the edge of the building

All cracked

Education is the foundation of Excellence motto on the wall

Did you hear me or can someone with connection at the TOP as in the local politic arena said, a cable can send this message loud and clear to the VIPs to get the job done? As for me, I shall call upon my God and my Savor Jesus Christ, Our Lord Al-Mighty, God with Us, Immanuel through prayers and petitions this Christmas to grant peace on Earth and safety for all who visit the State Library building while it is pending repair. If you need a safe haven this Christmas, please come to BMBC or Bukit Mertajam Baptist Church with your family and friends on Christmas's Eve this Friday December 24, 2010 at 6.30pm and celebrate with us for Christmas dinner and worship service.  See you.

Oh no.. no politicking ya... I just echo my voice a concerned citizen.

Okay..I just want to round it up after going round the round of musics that I enjoyed and fascinated by the children performance at the Penang State Music Competition Organized by a music school here at the Auditorium of the State Library.  The Auditorium is for rent to the public. Please inquire with the library for your reservation.  Will share with you the enchanting musics by the star performers on another day.

Next time, I will go back to my Big Foot Hill or BM library branch to check out the changes that have been made since some years ago that I went there. Remember my earlier post on November 13, 2010 on People's Gymnasium at Bukit Mertajam? Well, the BM library is next to the gymnasium. The BM library picture is feature on that post too. You can view a picture of it by clicking the above link.

Better still, I will go for the mobile library which I will find out more later.

Lollipop and sugar king...what is spinning?

Oh yes..I love the lollipop that they sell at AIA Kick-off Celebration at Stadium complex recently. It brought back fond memories of my childhood days when the lollipop man would usually come to my hometown in bicycle and spin the pink threads on the circular tray mounted onto his bicycle carriage.

Sometime, me and my friends were mischievous as we sneaked our fingers into the tray to get some threads of sugar spinning around it. As kids, we used to like sweet stuff and had frequent toothaches due to the decay caused by the sugar and stuff.Those days in the sixties and early seventies, the lollipop just cost five cents for the small one and ten cents for the big one.

Today, a stick like this can cost you RM2.00.  Now that sugar price has sky-rocketed due to the shortage of it in the country, this commodity has made the price of lollipop pricey to make your little kids happy.  Anyway, our local radio stations nowadays are encouraging us to cut down on sugar consumption by telling us the benefits of healthy diet wit reduction in sugar intake. 


Malaysia sugar king must be laughing all the way to the banks with the manifolds increase in his wealth.  When he was the major player in the country, the price of sugar did not increase much.  Now we have to ask our spin doctor...What is the government doing about it to help ease the burden of the majority since there is a chain increase in our food prices?

2011 AIA New Year Kick-off with special appearances by famous Ah Niu and Dayang Ku Intan at Stadium Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur

Happy New Year to American International Assurance(AIA) agents.  Bigfoothill joined fellow agents of AIA nationwide at the Stadium Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur for AIA annual New Year Kick-off to start the new financial year.  The celebration was grand and the National Sports Stadium was filled with seas of red-shirted AIA agents, staff and management.

The Group Chairman and CEO of AIA, Mr Mark Tucker was with us together with Mr Khor Hock Seng, CEO of AIA Bhd and his teams of senior managements and executives to launch the New Year 2011 with a big bang offering many goodies and challenges in bags including a BMW car for agency force and new products for clients.

There were special guest appearances by famous and beautiful singers like Miss Dayang Ku Intan and Mr Ah Niu who by the way is from Penang see link here for his bio-data. Click here to link and visit his website. The audiences were very excited and joined in the chorus especially when he sang his popular song "The girl from across has looked over here".

Scene at the Stadium entrance as the event just started

A very young AIA family member

The DJ on duty

Celebrating a New AIA poster

A banner picture Group Chairman & CEO of AIA, Mr Mark Tucker

AIA trademark balloons add colors to the occasion

A team from St John Ambulance on the march

A section of the agency force inside the Stadium

G-Next 2 soon

Another view of the agency force

Mr Khor Hock Seng, CEO AIA Bhd at the launch of AIA New Year Kick-off 2011

Mt Everest a Strong and an Everlasting icon synonymous wit AIA Logo

We could be driving home this BMW for the top grand prize challenge

The AIA performers

Ah Niu at AIA New Year Kick-off 2011

Listen to Ah Niu's song here

Credit goes to Mr JuiYinJong for posting and sharing this Ah Niu's song on You Tube

Feasting of banana leave rice at Little Hindu Temple at Jalan Seri Bukit

Bukit Mertajam view from Jalan Seri Bukit

A crowd gathering under the tree along Jalan Seri Bukit

The small Hindu Temple under the tree

Curry chicken served

A  young helper Yoyo Boy

Brothers and co-organizers, Somasundram and Ganesan with friends

Plenty of rice on banana leaves at the side of temple

Little boy seeking blessing from the priest

Hindu priest or Sami Subramaniam praying

Another devotee being bless

The little shrine for deity with the food offerings

Grandma Devi and grandson

A old lady in prayer

Women folks at the other corner

Other deities at the side of the temple

Another little shrine at the side

The Cobra Deity shrine

Folks gathering

The big pots of rice, curry chicken and curry mutton

The cook, Mr Ravi and his assistant

Another co-organiser, Mr Mathuveeran

The tasty curry mutton

The small Hindu temple

As I was passing by Jalan Seri Bukit after attending Sunday Worship Service at Bukit Mertajam Baptist Church (BMBC) and after having lunch at Chinese Restaurant at Jalan Cheok Sah, Bukit Mertajam, there was a crowd gathering at a small Hindu temple under a tree.  It is located on opposite of the road of the BM High School  in between the Shell Station and the school.

Thinking that it was a wedding occasion, I went to check it out and were invited by the people gathered there to join in for free lunch of banana leaves rice served with curry chicken and curry mutton.

The people were so friendly and made me feel welcome and insisted I eat lunch with them.  As I just had my lunch, I asked just for a cup of drink.  However, they served me the banana leaf rice and curry chicken and curry mutton but I could only oblige to eat a small portion and curry mutton. Thank you to my new found acquaintance for playing host and for their warmth hospitality

As we chatted with the helpers, they saw me with my camera and allowed me to take some pictures as shown above.  One grandma can speak Chinese "Hokkien" dialect as her mother was a Chinese and she also insisted that I eat lunch with them. She explained to me what the feasting was about and the priest saw me and offered to bless me too.  Really nice people out there.  They did not know that I am of Christian faith and never asked about my faith. I had sent my family home from Church Sunday Worship Service that morning and were on my way out to take a walk along the railway double tracking project within Bukit Mertajam Town and hoping to practice some photography skills. Will relate and share about it in another post soon.

Since my hosts are so kind and friendly, I obliged and said thank you for their warmth hospitality.  Before I eat, I also gave thanks and pray to our Father in Heaven, Lord Jesus Christ for his mercy, blessings and sanctification of the food quietly as my hosts were with me.  Now you probably ask whether Christian can eat foods at Hindu temple or the Chinese temple?  Let us refer to the Holy Bible book 1 Corinthians from Chapter 8 verses 1 to 13 by clicking the link here to NETBible and also a study by Keith Krell on the same bible verses by the link here.

" Scripture quoted by permission. All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are
taken from the NET Bible® copyright ©1996-2006 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C.
www.bible.org All rights reserved. This material is available in its entirety as a free
download or online web use at http://www.netbible.org/ ."
Thanks to the above two links courtesy of the Bible.org and NETBible for the reference and study.

If you need helps to study the Holy Bible in Bukit Mertajam, Penang, Malaysia, you can join BMBC Bible study class conducted by the pastors of the Church usually before the Sunday Worship service at  the Church at address No. 2209, Jalan Kulim, 14000 BUKIT MERTAJAM, SEBERANG PERAI TENGAH, PULAU PINANG, MALAYSIA.  You can contact them on the telephone number 604-5391854 or link to BMBC Facebook for more information.

Thanks to BMBC and the pastors for the bible study classes.

Just a little history here; BMBC has been my home Church since coming to Bukit Mertajam more than a decade ago.