One Year Later...

One year passed by. Have we change? Blackout 505? It is raining now 505 at Batu Kawan.  The Penang Second Bridge linking Batu Kawan on the Mainland at the ProvinceWellesley or Seberang Perai Selatan and Batu Maung ont eh Island side of Penang South East District. Yeah..A new history recorded of being the longest brigde in Malaysia and South East Asia.

Surely Bukit Meratjam and Batu Kawan have been affected by the sub-urban developments carried out by the Penang State Government and the private sectors.  The value of properties on the central Province Wellesley and Southern region have appreciated manifolds.  So are the cost of living of the people in general in Malaysia.  As for the employees, are your salary increasing at tandem with the inflation rate?  Did the employers make profits good enough to reward everyone who has performed in the works?

The roads on both side of Pulau Pinang seemed congested as the volume of traffic have increased.  The construction activities of railways double tracking across the various towns in Seberang Perai are almost completed and that the roads interchange and flyovers have eased the congestion a little.

There is a new shopping mall opening in Alma, Bukit Mertajam soon as Jusco is moving there from Bandar Perda.  It will be on the opposite site of the road adjacent to Tesco shopping mall.

Come home MH370.  Where have you been?

Who can save "kalimah ALLAH"?

Hello Fellow Malaysians and eligible and legitimate voters for the 13th General Election on May 05, 2013. 

I have been in hibernation for more than a year.  I am awaken not by earthquake or tsunami this time.  It is because I saw this big billboard put up at the roundabout at the Butterworth-Kulim Express Highway and North-South Highway intersection near the JPJ and Immigration Office by a candidate in the Seberang Jaya, Seberang Perai, Penang.  It urged voters to "Save KALIMAH ALLAH".  The word ALLAH is GOD to my Muslims friends as I knew it since I first went to primary school which was Putra English School (PES) at Jalan Padang Katong, Kangar, Perlis back in 1969 where there were very few Chinese students in my class and school until I went to Derma Secondary School.    

There were Islamic religious studies or "Ugama" classes and lessons for the Malay students while the non-Malay students are supposed to attend the Chinese or Tamil language classes during the period designated on our schooling time-table from Sundays to Thursdays(Perlis State then observed weekends on Fridays and Saturdays.  Some of us were the only Chinese student in our classroom. As there were only less than ten Chinese and Indian boys and girls combined in our batch or class of 1969, we did not get to enjoy the privilege of learning mother tongue languages since it was too small for the minimum enrollment numbers and for the school to engage the Chinese and Tamil language teachers to teach us.  So I did not attend the vernacular school like most of my childhood friends did at Sekolah Rendah Jenis Kebangsaan (China)Hwa Aik, Arau, Perlis or Sekolah Rendah Jenis Kebangsaan (China) Khoon Aik, Kangar, Perlis.  Yes, the spelling for Chinese in Malay language then was China instead of "Cina" and "Ugama" and not Agama as in present day Malay spelling.

Those days, we addressed Mr Ali  as "Enchik Ali" and not the present day "Encik Ali" while "Syarikat Shamelin"" meaning "Shamelin Company was spelled "Sharikat Shamelin".  We have "CH" instead of "C.." and "SH" instead of "SY".  "Kedai Runchit" then is Kedai Runcit now.  I can still remember our primary school syllabus used English as the language medium for teaching all the subjects except the Bahasa Melayu or Malay language or our National Language and the "Ugama' period where the "Ustaz" or Religious Teacher would teach my Malay classmates and friends. Mathematics and Science were in English. The then Minister of Education was the late Tan Sri Mohd Khir Johari.  

So what did those bunch of non-Malays boys and girls do during the Ugama period? We have the option to sit-in the classroom but move to the back of the classroom or hang around with our civic study book outside the classroom corridor and sit-by the drain and do our own activities and keep silent or just listen to and learn the religious studies on Islam and Civilisation.  I got to learn a few words of "Jawi" or Arabic writings like Alif  Ba Ta as the Quran book was written in "Jawi" and my Malay classmates have to learn to write and read "Jawi" and how to pray to Allah. The Ustaz(Islamic religious teacher) also taught my Muslim classmates and friends that if they are travelling with their family and could not find a mosque or surau in the vicinity when it is time for the five times a day prayers, they can go into nearby Christian Churches which are clean and sacred as long as it does not have the figurines or images of deities but not the Chinese or Hindu Temples to offer prayers to Allah . 

Talking about Jawi, there is a little town which is called Jejawi where there is a lower secondary school known as "Syed Sirajuddin Secondary School" which halfway between the Royal town of Arau and the Capital of Kangar. That school was named after the then Crown Prince or Raja Muda of Perlis who is now the present Raja of Perlis. 

Well, I was very fortunate to study at the primary school which was named after the late king, His Royal Highness Raja of Perlis Al-Marhum Duli Yang Maha Mulia Tuanku Syed Putra Jamalullail, The Third Yang-Di-Pertuan Agong of Malaysia.  I remember seeing one of his grandsons which I belief is the current Crown Prince or Raja Muda of Perlis which was my junior which used to be fetched to and from school by the chauffer in a white Mercedes wagon.

Alright, that was just a little excursion into schooling days.  Why must I tell you so?  Me and my classmates  and the batch of 1969 were victims of the flip-flop changes made to our Malaysian Education System when the new Education Minister Tun Dr Mahathir made changes to the medium of teaching of Geography to Ilmu Alam or Geografi  and History became Tawarikh or Sejarah and Bahasa Melayu became Bahasa Malaysia.  The PMR exams were then known as Lower Cambridge Examination (L.C.E) before it became Sijil Rendah Pelajaran(SRP) which eventually became Penilaian Menegah Rendah(PMR). The Malaysian Certificate of Education (MCE) became Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia(SPM) or SPVM  for the Vocational Secondary School and the Higher School Certificate (HSC) became Sijil Tinggi Pelajaran Malaysia(STPM).. Those days, the examinations were conducted together with the Cambridge University Examination Syndicate. 

My Geography lesson on Volcano became "Gunung Berapi" or Mountains with Fire. The great Persian Empire Alexander the Great became "Iskandar Zulkarnian".  Admiral Zheng He was "Laksamana Cheng Ho", There were history of the Majapahit and Sri Vijaya Empires and Langkasuka Empires and the Malacca Sultanate with is famous Princess Hang Li Po and the Five Warriors Hang Tuah, Hang Jebat, Hang Kasturi, Hang Lekir and Hang Lekiu.  Today, somewhat this Hang Tuah history is classified as "Hikayat" or Legend which is like fiction story.  

There was this slogan "Bahasa Jiwa Bangsa" which we were instilled with. We are proud to learn the Malay National Language and also the "Rukun Negara" which have five principles declaration at our school assemblies on Sundays. We also sing the Perlis State Anthem

1. Kepercayaan kepada Tuhan (Believe in GOD)

2. Kesetiaan kepada Raja dan Negara (Loyalty to the King and Nation)

3. Keluhuran Perlembagaan.(Supremacy of the Constitution)

4. Kedaulatan Undang-undang(Rule of the Laws)

5. Kesopanan dan kesusilaan (Courtesy and Morality)

As you may know it, "Tuhan" is the Malay word for God.  Why our then Prime Minister, the late Tun Abdul Razak who is the father of the current caretaker Prime Minister Najib Razak and his cabinet ministers did not use the word Allah but "Tuhan" when they established the Rukun Negara?  I knew my Malay Muslim classmates and friends worshiped their Allah as "Tuhan" and me and my Chinese and Indian classmates worshiped "Tokong-tokong" or Gods and Godesses while my Sikhs classmates worshiped Guru Nanak.  In our report cards and school records on religion professed, we were classified as "Ugama Buddha", "Ugama Hindu" and 'Ugama Sikh" or "Lain-Lain" or Others.  I hardly come accross a Christian during my schooling days other than the Christian school which is Stella Maris Primary School which has a chapel and a cross on its towering roof  at the entrance to its school buildings as my school van driver, Uncle Ah Looi ( of Siamese descent who took us to a Wat or Siamese temple to drop-off one of our friends) would always picked us from Putra English School(PES) before going to pick my hometown friends studying at Stella Maris as that school dismissed the students later than us.

I remember my mommy used to prepare breakfast and foodstuff for me to bring to school in plastic containers and tupperwares for my recess and my father gave me five cent coin for me to buy food and drink during my primary schooling days. She made sure that I have only "halal" food to bring to school to avoid any misunderstandings and warned me not to share anything that is not "halal" with my Muslims classmates.  The plastic containers,glasses, cups and spoons and forks in our households are usually exchanged and redeemed  through advertising programs by the soap powder companies like FAB, Drives,Breeze, Tiger and Trojan where they sent troops of ladies and aunties carrying the soap products and the redemption gifts in rattan baskets out in convoys of Volkwagen vans. 

Wow, the soap detergent like Fab is time tested as the indelible ink used recently at the advance voting for Malaysian Arm forces was reportedly washed away.

There was peace in Perlis on May 13, 1969 even though there were riots in Kuala Lumpur, the Capital of Malaysia due to the General Election results where the "Perikatan", the predecesor of "Barisan National" coalition suffered heavy losses as the opposition parties won more seats.  I was at school on that day with all my Chinese, Indian, Sikh and Malay classmates and we were told by our teachers that we can go home early on that day and we were later picked up by our parents and van drivers. When we resumed schooling after that incident, we just lived and played on with our Malay classmates and friends as though nothing had happened.  Not only that, my form teacher was Cigku Rokiah and my Bahasa Malaysia and Ugama Cigku Abu Bakar was a motherly and a fatherly figure respectively to all of us.  Yes, my Malay classmates and friends used to taunt me and our Chinese classmates "China Communist" or "China babi" = Chinese Pig when we are angry with one another, we would have a shouting war calling them "Tuko" or Pig too.  The Ustaz and teachers would tell us to stop taunting and shake hands and be friends and like one big family. We are the truly Malaysian Malaysia living peacefully in harmony and happily with one another. My Muslim friends have been trustworthy and have helped me to learnt more about their culture and religion. There is nothing to fear when God is on your side and the Fire of Hell  or "Api Neraka" will not consume you as long as you fear God and obey His commands and not fear Man.  

We loved to play football at our school field which was easily the size of three football field which bordered with Stella Marris and the Institut Teknoloji Mara (ITM) which later became the UITM. We played 'Sepak Takraw' at our open cement badminton courts. We cheered our Thomas Cup and Uber Cup badminton teams as we listened to the Radio Malaysia. We used to cheers for our Harimau Malaya which were once Asia power house during the Merdeka Cup with players and idols like "Taukeh" Soh Chin Aun from Melaka, Super Mokh Moktar Dahari from Selangor, Spiderman Arumugam Goakeeper, James Wong from Sabah, Isa and Ali Bakar brothers from Penang and our very own Bakri Ibni from Perlis.  We also lined up two by two and sat together at our school canteen when the school brought the black and white television to show everyone the live telecast of the boxing bouts between Cassius Clay or Muhammad Ali and Joe Fazier and the match Muhammad Ali versus Joe Bugner held at Kuala Lumpur.  We can all cheered our country's heroes like Tan Aik Huang and Tan Aik Mong, Tan Yee Khan, Eddy Choong, Punch Gunalan, Phua Ah Hua, Saw Swee Leong, Dominic Soong and Cheah Hong Chong, Moo Foot Lian, Foo Kok Keong, Misbun Sidek, Razif and Jailani Sidek, Rashid Sidek, Cheah Soon Kit and Soo Beng Kiang, Tan Boon Heong and Koo Kien Kiat and Datuk Lee Chong Wei and Heroines like Sylvia Ng and  Datin Wong Mew Choo for Badminton, Shalin Zulkifli and her bowling compatriots in bowling, and recently, the diving  champions like Pandela Rinong and Leong Mun Yee in sports as one Malaysian Voice but we picked our own idols when boxing is not involving Malaysians.

Today, we have some extremists and racists politicians who still stir the racial and religious harmony as though they still lived in the Japanese occupations and under colonial British rules.  If Keretapi Tanah Melayu became KTM, it was the passing of train services from Padang Besar, Perlis, Malaysia to Tanjung Pagar in Singapore and to Hatyai in Southern Thailand.  It had travelled down the terrains, the padi fields, rubber estates and oil palm estates and jungles and through tunnels and over bridges millions of miles. The scenario had change along the way to tht of residential houses, roads and flyovers and interchange and super structures like skyscrapers in cities like Butteroworth, Ipoh, Kuala Lumpur and Johor Baru and Woodlands in Singapore. It had experienced some derailment because of the communist insurgents sabotage in the past and due to other natural disasters or phenomena or man made quarrels like the Tamjung Pagar-Woodland ICQ terminal issue. KTM has change its engines and wheels from steam locomotives to diesel and electric trains. The tracks have been doubled and electrified from South to North.  It has grown and transformed itself.  

The dawn of a new Era of Free Colorful Metropolitan Multi-Etnic,  Multi-cultural and Multi-religious Malaysia from a nation known as Malaya, a land bestowed with so many resources and talented people of this NegaraKu, Malaysia.  The construction of the new electrified double tracking railway lines have been affecting most motorists and Malaysians living in places where the tracks crisscrossed. Some have lost their lives while some have lost their lands and playgrounds and also some historical landmarks demolished in the name of development. The roads and surrounding are dusty pending the completion and clearance of debris. Did the affected people get compensated fairly? Were there any element of cost overrun due to the inflation, commissions or corruptions during procurement and implementation?  

Why today we still have politicians who like to be superhero when superman actor like Christopher Reeve also died and cannot save himself?  If we are all God fearing people, we know that there is heaven and hell. We know that we can live as long as God allow us our time here on Earth, the garden of Eden particularly in the land called Malaysia with the South China Sea in between the tip of Asia and Borneo Islands.The Chinese when they died, the relatives will arrange for the deceased person a funeral service within their means, a heart warming rite to bid farewell from this world to other world. According to their faiths, the Taoist monks will offer some prayers on the wake service until the funeral and cremation and until the mourning periods are over so that the departed soul will rest in peace and the living will cherish the sweet memories of the moments spent on Earth.  Buddhist will have much simpler funeral rites.  Then again, the rich and the poor men or women would go to the Judgement on their own.  Like the Muslims which offer the "Al-Fathihah prayers", the Christians will offer condolence to the bereaved family members and offer prayers to God.

Christians belief there is only one God and He has many Names.  God Almighty the Creator, Merciful, Provider, Love,Emmanuel God with us and etc as in the Holy Bible or "Kitab Injil".  I am sure the Holy Quran also tell us that ALLAH = GOD is our Creator and we shared the same ancestors from Adam and Eve ("Adam dan Hawa").  We can call our father -Papa and mother-Mama in (Chinese Hokkien dialect), Lau Peh and Lau Bo(In TeoChew), Ar Pa or Lo Tau (Cantonese),  I know my Malay friends call their father, Ayah or Abah and their mother Emak or Mak or Ibu or just Bu. So if you speak Mandarin, it is Fu Ching and Mu Ching.  Tantai orThagappanar or Thandhai for father and Amma for mother in Tamil. 

When we die, all of us will go to dust. No further word is uttered when we are lying dead.  So when you as a child, it is so beautiful to be able to call your parents, papa and mama and likewise, parents love their children and call out their names while we are still living.  We are all common descendants of Adam and Eve from the same Human species or Homo Sapiens but with different genes and DNAs as God did not make us exactly like each other. He created us in His Image. We are not like the same Proton Saga cars rolled out from the Proton factory.  As we get older and and have other children, the Proton cars manufacturer came out with different models. Unfortunately, humans are not perfect and so the Proton cars are also with defects. You know, the window cannot wind-up properly. INI KALILAH Voters Defect to Pakatan Rakyat.  Lain kali Perfect Better Nation. When can we design and build our own car engines like the Koreans and jet engines like Russians to become a nation we can be proud of Made In Malaysia product or "Bangga dengan Barangan Buatan Malaysia"

Now the BIG issue with some of the politicians today is talking about Save "Kalimah ALLAH".  There are many learned Muslim Imams, Clergies and Muslim Scholars have already mentioned that the word ALLAH is of Middle-Eastern origin and has long been used by Christians before Islamic Civilisation. So why can't the Christians utter Allah? He is my GOD as I understand  He has so many other names? Why only in Sabah and Sarawak states on the Borneo Islands only can the Christian allowed to use Allah in the Kitab Injil or Holy Bible or praise and pray to ALLAH.  

Today, in global border-less and internet connected world, you can have access to the Holy Bible at your PC or smartphone and in many language translations anywhere.  You can print it and store it as hard-copy as and when you like for your own use and be thankful and mindful of the copyrights for the original contributors and authors.   If the so-called religious and pious leader of an NGO who is a godly "orang alim" Muslim threatened to burn all Holy Bibles with the word ALLAH, he will have to burn his PC, tablets and smartphones or stop GOD or ALLAH from revealing Himself to non-Muslims(kafirs) who help to create these gadgets. Even if the Ah Huat or Ah Yong or Ah Soi Leg or Ah Seng or A Singh is allowed to call our GOD "ALLAH", most Chinese will pronounce it with his Chinese accents and slang and God Almighty still know that his beloved children yearn for HIM.  Parents, do you like to hear your children call you Papa and MAMA AS OFTEN AS YOU ARE ALIVE?.  

Just as I was at the POS office Bukit Mertajam, I bumped into my standard one classmate Aziz and we were so happy because we had not seen each others for a long time and his two elder children were already married. He is now a proud grandfather or "Datuk" of two grandchildren.  I told him to invite me to his other younger children's wedding feast or "kenduri" in future. Yes, we are fated or "takdir' to meet by God's grace. My friend  replied "Insya Allah" which means God's Willing, we shall meet again soon. Common people like us have common sense and courtesy.

  

Is GOD=ALLAH for all His Creations and descendants of Adam and Eve to praise HIM or it is only the exclusive Arabic word for politicians in Malaysia to sing to Him.  GOD, please save MALAYSIA. If we go to our Honorable Malaysian Judicial Courts, we have to swear in the name of TUHAN =GOD=ALLAH when taking an oath. So please help me GOD.   If GOD is the Almighty Creator of me and you, my fellow peace loving Malaysians, the word ALLAH is free because only GOD can save us. Man saves God or God save mankind?  God Creator does not need the "Pharisee" humankind  to save ALLAH because HE is MERCIFUL and  our SAVIOUR. 

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To my fellow faithful servants of God and peace loving Malaysians, The Prime Minister and Government of Malaysia, the Court of Justices of Malaya, Sabah and Sarawak and the learned Judges and Justices and His Royal Highness The King and His Brethren Council of Sultans and Raja, DYMM Seri Paduka Baginda Yang Di-Pertuan Agong of Malaysia dan Majlis Raja-Raja, may God Bless You Richly and with Good Health, and Grant You Great Wisdom and Understandings so that ALLAH will favor your rule and your "Rakyat" or citizen can live in harmony, in prosperity and at peace with GOD=ALLAH=TUHAN and Man on Earth forever and ever. Amin=Amen. 

 PEACE BE WITH YOU.  SHALOM. 

Psalm Agency & Insurenet Agency New Office in Alma, Bukit Mertajam, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia

View Driving directions to Jalan Perniagaan Alma in a larger map

Hello Friends and Business Associates, 

This is the location of the new office of Psalm Agency and Insurenet Agency. The work in progress is almost 90 % completed and is targeted for launching on Saturday 21 April, 2012.  It is located at and known as No. 12, 1st Floor, Jalan Perniagaan, Pusat Perniagaan Alma, 14000 BUKIT MERTAJAM, PULAU PINANG, MALAYSIA.

Earthquake tremors in Penang, Malaysia

About 4.40pm local time today, I was at Psalm Agency new office on the first floor of the three storeys building together with some friends at Alma, Bukit Mertajam, Penang, Malaysia when suddenly we felt the building floor shaking and the fans on the ceiling were shaking and my desktop monitor also trembling. It must be tremors felt here in Penang due to possibly an earthquake at nearby off the sea of Sumatra, Indonesia.  The tremors lasted about 2 minutes.

The last time I experienced the tremors was in 1990 when I was at KOMTAR, Penang working in a local bank. In the December 2004 tsunami, I was with my family and relatives from the USA travelling to Georgetown in Penang Island on ferry from Butterworth on the Peninsular Malaysia.  The sea across the Butterworth channel was choppy and it was very windy as we stood on the ferry admiring the view of the surrounding.

What a day to celebrate the installation of the Sultan of Kedah to be the14th King or The DYMM Yang DiPertuan Agong of Malaysia on April 11, 2012 who happened to create records for being the first King of Malaysia to be the Agong for the second time in Malaysian history where the Raja and Sultans from the nine Peninsular Malaysia states rotate among themselve to be the King of the Malaysian Federation.

Happy Valentine's Day - Love John 3:16

Like you and Love you.  Thank you Jesus Christ for His love.  God Is Love. He First Loved Us.  God gives us His one and only Son so that whoever believes in Him can have eternal life. Love our parents, siblings, spouse, children, relatives and friends and every creation of God. You may find out more from the link here


We can see the joy of love all around us. Some love the festivities like watching some live performances such as the troupe playing eighteen drums and the Traditional Chinese Lion Dance at Genting Highlands. In Malaysia, the Lion Dance team included some team members of other ethnic race. They can be participating in dancing with the Lion head or the tail to the rhythms of the drum beats, gongs and cymbals. The crowd are enjoying giving "Ang Pow"( A gift consisting of a Red Packet usually containing some cash) to the Lions while some little children are very excited to have an up close moments feeding the Lions. The Lions in return gave them gifts.

It is great to see the expression of love and happiness on the happy faces of the parents and children and the crowd.  I like this one particular moment captured when a mother and her daughter are seen successfully "feeding" the Lion. It invoked memories of my childhood time spent with my late beloved mommy at those instances when the lion troupes visited my hometown in the upper north many many years ago.  I wonder how many parents and how often do we get to share moments like this with our children and loved ones on any day not just on Valentine's day that can impact us in our daily life and have an everlasting memory. Let us count our blessings.

Hope you will enjoy these recorded events at Genting Highlands Resorts recently.

Chinese New Year is Over. Enter the Dragon

Hi folks, I guess most of us here in Malaysia have enough of long festive and public holidays and weekends over the last few weeks.  There were the Federal Territory Day on Wednesday 1 February, 2012 in Kuala Lumpur and the Federal Territory of Putrajaya and Labuan.  Then there was this Birthday of Prophet Muhammad on Sunday 5 February, 2012 followed by Chap Goh Meh which is the fifteenth day of the Chinese New Year on Monday 6 February, 2012 and finally the Hindu religious Thaipusam on Tuesday 7 February, 2012.  The Hindu celebrated Ponggal which was their  harvest festival over four days including Monday 16 January, 2012 in Malaysia but it was not a public holiday.

It is great to be living in my beloved (Rasa Sayang) country Malaysia to truly know our ethnic diversity and of getting to know so many friends and of different cultures and traditions.  Well some of us  like the long weekends and holidays so that we can do the things we like and wanted to do in our lifetime which we may have planned for a long time.  As for some, holidays are good time to have reunions and spend quality time with loved ones or fulfilling some promises to bring your children for special treatments since they may done well in their examinations.

Maybe, you could be one just like me who just like to listen to some of the oldies and songs that bring some sweet memories during these holidays.  Thanks to so many lovely songs uploaded onto You Tube by our community.  I like to thank zoundcracker for the lovely songs shared on You Tube. One of these oldies reminded me of the Hong Kong TV series that my parents and I watched on the rented video tapes back in the eighties.

As for me, I also took time to have good rests but too much of it made me lethargic and not good for the physical health and mind.  Now is the time to get back to work and grind. God is good and great as He gives us HOPE of every thing new not just on the New Year of our creeds and cultures but every day.   Be it new found prosperity especially for all of you and for the Chinese people who would love for this Dragon Year for it is said that the Chinese are the descendants of the Dragon.

Here are some video clips that I managed to record while on stopover at Genting Highlands Resorts for you to enjoy and to cherish.

I missed a few performances when the dancers were dancing to the Ding Dong Song as my video camera memory card was full.

Wishing You A Happy & Prosperous Chinese New Year - Gong Xi Fa Cai

My Dear Friends, Family, Relatives and Business Associates, Wishing You A Happy & Prosperous Chinese New Year.  For those traveling and driving home to be with the family and reunion dinners, please ensure proper maintenance and road worthiness of your vehicles. Please drive carefully.  Take a rest if you are tired and continue you journey when you have freshen up. Kindly ensure the safety of everyone and other road users.

For those who are on duty and at work during this festive holidays, I say thank you for your services as you are key to keeping everyone happy and alive to celebrate this auspicious occasion.  Thank you to some of these very very important persons rendering services such as the Hospital and Medical staff, the Banking staff, The Police and Traffic Officers, The Military, The Airport and Air Controllers and Airlines, The Shipping Ports, Ferry Services, Train and Railway Services, The Buses and Drivers and Station Masters and Automobile Workshops and Towing Services and also the Petrol Kiosks operators.  The Shopping Malls and the Movie Theaters to keep us shopping and entertained which do not close on these days.  Of course, the Telecommunications and Broadcasting stations keeping us in touch with one another.  Thank you to the radio deejays for playing us non-stop music and updates on the traffic and news.  To my fellow insurance agents and colleagues, I salute you for the on call duty for the emergencies.  I want to remember the special group of people at call centers and at help desks of the various industries and especially the Chartis Malaysia Insurance Berhad Travel Guard. 

The team at Travel Guard are ever ready 24 hours throughout the year to assist anyone whether you are insured  client or not in your travel related emergencies while overseas or in a foreign sovereign.  The team for Asia Region is based in Kuala Lumpur. I remember you.  

Gong Xi Fa Cai.

 

AIA Agency Award Presentation Nite 2011 - Hotel Equatorial, Penang

Congratulations to all AIA Agency Awardees , Agents and staff from Penang, Bukit Mertajam and Kulim Branches.  Special congratulation to our "How Lien" Insurance Agency Director Mr Yeap Boon Swee for guiding us to the Clean Sweep of All the Awards at AIA National level.

Here is his style of typical "How Lien" or Arrogant Speech.


Thank you to my leader, Mr Leong Eng Shin District Director and colleagues from  PN/LES Agency. Congratulations to Madam Hooi Phaik Geok being one of the Million Dollars Round Table (MDRT) award winners and Miss Chew Seh See on her promotion to be the new Unit Manager.

Here you can enjoy the show with our Beautiful and Lovely  Emcee, Miss Laureen Quah bringing on the programs for the evening at Hotel Equatorial, Penang  on Tuesday January 17, 2012. There was musical performance by the Penang Symphony Orchestra Violin Quartet.

 There were ballerinas to entertain all AIA twinkle-twinkle stars too.

Later half of the show, she introduced us to Leonard De Silva and Friends on a night filled with Jazz.

See you again AIA agency force at next year's Annual Award Presentation Night 2012.  Meantime, Gong Xi Fa Cai and Wishing Everyone A Very Happy and Prosperous Chinese New Year.

Roadshow and Opera to say Thank You to the Deity at Kota Permai

If you have been in Malaysia over the last couple of weeks, you would probably be entertained by our local singers at the Ge-Tai(Mandarin) or in Hokkien " Ko-Tai or Roadshow had you ventured out at night to the local Chinese temples.  You would also had the opportunity to watch a traditional Chinese Opera show too.  Over here in Bukit Mertajam, the local Chinese community here speaks the local TeoChew dialect as compared to the majority of the local Chinese community in Penang Island who speaks Hokkien dialect.  Therefore, the opera shows over here are mostly the TeoChew Opera.

However, due to the Opera show and its traditional culture and apprenticeship which are not "seen" to be paying attractive income and the nomadic lifestyle(due to frequent travels around the country to perform at various temples) of the troupe members, comprising the actors, actresses, supporting casts, make-up artist, wardrobe and tailors, the musical team which sometimes doubled up as the stage crews in setting up the "theater and backdrops" which play the traditional musical instruments such as drums,gongs, trumpets and flutes and cymbals, these professional arts and noble jobs are hardly attracting the new and young generations.

They have to put in long hours of training to acquire the acting skills and singing and dancing. They have to teach themselves to paint their faces with colored powders and other cosmetics to depict the faces of heroes and heroines and villains too. They eat at and sleep on the temporary stage set up by the local committee of the temples.  It is hard to find a local opera troupe to perform because today's Chinese younger generation are leading a very different lifestyle in the advent of digital age, and have higher expectation of a quality lifestyle in the comfort of the beautiful five stars hotels and the lime lights of the more sophisticated modern art of acting and the glitters on the silver screen and to bash in the glamors of the Hollywood for being cast in the Megabucks Blockbuster Movies. They probably want to be glamorous like Jet Li, Chow Yun-Fat, Sammo Hung  or Michelle Yeoh, Gong Li and etc. Guess what? Even today, the Opera troupes are imported from China to perform here in Malaysia.  At one time, the troupes from Thailand were quite regular here.  They probably find it hard to get new bloods into the industry.

Another dying culture is the Chinese puppet shows which are also performed to thank the deities.  Today, we have the animation using the computer digital technologies. I have seen in the past that some temples when they could not secure the puppet shows or the opera, they had hired the services of the cinema crews who show the old movies on a large white screen like a drive-through movie which is more economical and easy to set-up.  For the Opera show, there are usually two performances per day. One episode in the afternoon and one episode at night.  As for the Ge-Tai or Roadshow, it is only performed at night and usually from 8.00pm to 12.00 midnight with a mixtures of male and female singers who usually dressed sexily or in scantily outfits.  Male singers are also rare nowadays as the audience preferred to watch females performers.

Recently, the Opera show held at Kota Permai was to thank the deity "Datuk Kong" or the so called Malay Spirit Deity worshiped by the Chinese community especially those that practiced Taoism for the blessings which they belief were bestowed throughout the whole of last year. Some of the businessmen and residents would sponsor and donate huge sum of moneys to organize the event make burnt offerings.   The local shopping  center, Billion Supermarket sponsored one night performance of the Roadshow. At Kota Permai, the "Datuk Kong" is said to be "dwelling or residing" at the big rock along the main road of Jalan Kota Permai and it is the main deity housed at the temple built onto it.  See my earlier post on the temple here.  At this temple, pork offerings and non-kosher foods are not allowed to be offered to the "Datuk" deity as it is a Malay Spirit and it is considered a taboo.  Ill luck and bad fate will befall the persons who make such an offering blunder. Even the singer will respect the deity by singing at least one Malay song to entertain the deity.

Here is one Malay song titled Sha-Na-Na sang by Miss Chang Sin Yee.

 Anyway, the deity and or other deities will watch the opera or puppet show or Ge-Tai secured as offerings and thanksgivings by the local temple committee who are themselves nominated among the sponsors and donors annually or for a specific term.  Of course, the people and residents like me who like to see Roadshows will join the crowd just to watch the performances for free.  In the present days, there are plastic stools for sitting and canvas tents sheltering from the rain.  In the olden days where I grew up as a child, there were rows of wooden planks laid on stilts and tighten with bolts and nuts above grasses and muddy open spaces and arranged like rows of seats in a theater hall with no shelters except for the makeshift stage.

Those days, we could only watch and it remained in memory.  Today, we can shoot photograph and record video.  That is why you are now enjoying these video clips that I recorded with Sony handy camera.  Here at the Chinese temple roadshow, we cheer and clap for the singers as they sing and entertain us with the latest pop songs and dances. The visitors to the temples will usually close their hands together and kneeling or bowing down, and offer prayers with burning incenses (joss-sticks which can be plain and tiny or big with dragon and figurines and printed joss-papers in gold and silver colors accompanied by lighted candles and lamps to the deity or deities at the temples. Some who have been blessed with good-fortunes will make cash donations. They may even bring along food-stuffs such as boiled chicken, eggs, home cooked meals and dishes, fruits and cookies to offer to the deity or deities. After the prayer sessions, these food-stuffs can be taken back home and consume as it is belief to bring good luck and blessing. You can expect the joss-sticks or incenses with dragon figurines will be popular throughout this Chinese New Year as this is the Lunar year of the Water Dragon.

 

In contrast, at the Church, the worshipers play the musical instruments, sing praises and worship songs to God, dancing, clapping and raising hands in prayer postures, bowing or kneeling down and giving thanks unto the Lord and Jesus Christ. There are Malay and Murut versions of Songs of Praise and Worship.  The church congregations give tithes and offerings in cash and checks.  The modern and large churches even accept offerings through debit to credit card accounts or online transfers using the latest banking facilities.  These monies are used by the Church to support its administration, missions and to help the poor and needy. The Church have the Holy Communions where the disciples broke breads and eat and drink the cups of wine in remembrance of the Lord Jesus Christ for His Love and Sacrifice for us.

Now you may like to ask, who is worshiping and who is singing? Who is thanking God and who is being entertained? Who benefited from the collection of monies and how it is being used? Anyway, mankind came empty handed into this mortal world and cannot take it with us when we leave this world. Let us be good Stewards and Custodians of what God has placed in our care and hands.

Here, enjoy the opera, roadshow, the pop songs and worship songs and may God Bless you and family and be with you always. Gong Xi Gong Xi.

Hua Yang Berhad Making Good Profit - Quarterly Report ended 31/12/2011

Greetings to you.  Chinese New Year is getting nearer now.  For the head of family of the household, it it time to work harder to earn the money that the whole family is going to spend on this festive seasons and the holidays.  Have you been reaping the good tidings for the New Year 2012?

If you have been to this blog earlier, you probably came across the posting on share investment and the specific counter on Hua Yang Berhad.  It is time for their Quaterly Report ended December 31, 2011.  Here  is link to the report filed by the company and  posted at Bursa Malaysia from the company's website.

Notice : The blogger takes no responsibility for the contents of this blog, makes no representation as to its accuracy or completeness and expressly disclaims any liability whatsoever for any loss however arising from or in reliance upon the whole or any part of the contents of this blog. The above opinion is not an invitation to buy or sell.  It is just solely my opinion serving my blogging interest and an expression of thoughts and ideas of the author and shall not be construed and taken as and investment advice.  This is not an advisory service and I do not charge any subscription fee. The blogger disclosed it is deemed an interested investor by virtue of its investment in the stock until its disposal of holding it in its portfolio. Any action that you take as a result of information, analysis and/or commentary on this site is ultimately your responsibility. Kindly consult your investment adviser before making any investment decision.This morning on January 19, 2012, the counter has gone up to the price of RM1.37 as 09.33.50am.  The current target price I am looking at is RM1.50.  There has been a bonus issue of one share for three existing shares completed on October 31, 2011. 

New Year 2012 Malaysian Dragon Dance Competition at Sunway Carnical, Penang

Hooray.Haappy New Year.It is a Public holiday today on Sunday 1 January, 2012 here at Penang, Malaysia and it will be replaced on Monday 2 January, 2012..  New Year 2012 is a buy time for shopping for many at Sunway Carnival Shopping Mall at Seberang Jaya, Penang.  Enter the Dragon.  No..no... not that the Bruce Lee Kung-Fu movie.  It was a national Malaysian Dragon Dance competition held at the lobby of the shopping mall.  There were other competitions including little children and adults in Chinese traditional costumes and dances.  Enter the Dragon Year on 23 January, 2012 according to the Chinese Lunar Calendar.

Enjoy watching the dances which I managed to record it.  The team from Muar, Johor, Malaysia emerged Champion while the team from Sungai Petani, Kedah, Malaysia was the first runner up while a second team from Muar, Johor was second runner-up.

See you at Sunway Carnival again soon for the Chinese New Year program which has been lined up to liven up the shopping atmosphere to usher in the Chinese Lunar New Year of the Dragon.

Happy New Year 2012 Countdown at Esplanade (Padang Kota), Georgetown, Penang, Malaysia

Wishing you a very Happy New Year 2012 and may God bless you richly in wealth ,good health, and grant you peace, joy, success and love always in the 366 days ahead.

After dinner at James Foo Western Food, Fettes Park, Penang, Bigfoothill went over to the main annual hot spot for the New Year 2012 Countdown at the Esplanade (Padang Kota), Georgetown, Penang.  The VVIPs including the Chief Minister, the Honorable, Mr Lim Guan Eng and his Exco members were there to grace the occasion.

As we were walking on the street which was full of hawkers and petty traders and the people going towards Padang Kota, we passed by another famous landmark, The Sire-Museum Restaurant known for its Western Foods and fine dinning and a collection of the Chinese Antiques and furniture belonging to the famous millionaire, the illustrious Yeap Chor Ee who arrived from China and worked very hard to become the founder of the only Penang based bank, Ban Hin Lee Bank Berhad which had in recent years been merged into CIMB Bank.

There was a concert held at Padang Kota along Light Street and facing the seafront and next to the Fort Cornwallis which is located right in front of the City Hall building next to the Dewan Sri Pinang on the back and opposite Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM), Penang Branch. American International Assurance Berhad (AIA) Gnext training center is right behind BNM at Bishop Street, Georgetown, Penang. The group Bunkface was one of the performers performing at the peak of the concert.  You may like their genre of rock music.  They performed the song "Dunia" which means "World" when I was walking to the Esplanade after finding a parking space at AIA.

2011 Farewell

It is time to bid farewell to year 2011.  After all the works and efforts for the year, it is time to relax and reflect on what we have accomplished in this 365 days of 2011.  I took the opportunity to meet up with friends over in Penang Island and went for dinner with family at the famous James Foo & Family Western Food at Fettes Park, Tanjung Tokong, Penang.  The foods tasted really fantastic.  I ordered the Combo which have the pork, beef, lamb, ham, sausage and egg plus the vegetables,potato fries and a bun with the black pepper sauce.  You can catch a glimpse of inside the restaurant which is situated within Fettes park.  

We had to take a number to wait for a table and be seated. There were many dinners at this time of the year and weekend.  I once wanted to dine there a few months age but the crowds were big as usual.  It was almost 30 minutes waiting for an available table.  Meantime, we ordered our foods and refreshments, one mushroom soup, one oxtail soup, one black pepper chicken, one Hawaiian chicken and a Combo serving, and drinks - one glass of Lime juice, one Roselle and one other juice. It is another 30 minutes of waiting for the foods to be served.  The total bill is RM56.20.  If you really must try it out, please be cool to find a parking lot and wait patiently for the services and food. Have your buddies to go along with you so that you will have plenty of time to catch up and kill. If not, just watch the English Premier leagues on the LED TV on the wall or fiddle with your I-Phone, Samsung Galaxy Note or Tabs or whatever.  If you can bear the noises from the neighboring tables then you need not worry of hearing your grumbling tummy.  Note: Make sure you have the leisure time if you plan to enjoy the tasty foods at James Foo.  Sorry folks, I did not bring a good camera, just a Sony handy video camera.  Bigfoothill is sure to return again to James Foo for more of their servings on the menu next year 2012.

Princess and The Frog meet Bigfoothill at AIA Northern region 2012 Kick Off

Hello AIA,   This is Princess and The Frog kicking and rocking with you. Here is the party time for AIA agents from the Northern region comprising Penang, Northern Perak, Kedah and Perlis at the Annual Kick-Off event which was held on Monday 5 December, 2011 at Hotel Equatorial, Penang Matahari Grand Ballroom.  It is the First AIA Kick-Off held outside Kuala Lumpur as this is in honor of all Northern AIA agents and business associates for emerging as the Best in Overall performances for Financial Year 2011 outperforming the rest of the regions in AIA Malaysia.  Thank you to all the loyal and faithful clients for your business, confidence and trust in us. One AIA...Premier is the Way.

Need a financial plan to achieve your financial goals? We are here to help you. Wealth and Investments, Savings, Retirements, Estate Planning, Health and Personal Accident, Travel and Golfer's insurance? Commercial Fire, Retail and Services business package, Personal Lines such as House-owner and Householder Insurance, Auto Insurance and Home Loan are all available here in One AIA. AIA is your Premier choice.  For our Muslim friends and clients, we have AIA-AFG Family Takaful products and services to meet your family goals too.  Want financial freedoms and to become Premier Agency? AIA welcomes you to join the party.  Ask Bigfoothill.

New Year 2012 Go to New Chinese Primary School at Kota Permai, Bukit Mertajam -Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan Cina Beng Teik (Pusat)

Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan Cina Beng Teik (Pusat)

Main Entrance to the building

corridors between the two blocks

This is the new Chinese Primary School, Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan Cina Beng Teik (Pusat) which is opening for new registration and intake of new students from Primary Year One to Year Six for the new Year 2012 session.  This Chinse primary school was originally located in Penang Island but it was relocated here due to the small and dwindling enrollment at its original location.  With the growing population in and around Bukit Mertajam, especially in Kota Permai, Saujana Permai, Permai Indah and the nearby residential housing estates, the arrival of this school is timely to cater to the children living in this place.  You can contact the telephone number and contact persons and headmaster stated on the notice board for more information.

As you can see, the Chinese primary school is built mainly from getting the funding from the Chinese community and donations and from sponsors such as the Tiger Beer charity concerts with donations from the public well wishers.  The Malaysian Government is only chipping in its token share of developing the Chinese and Tamil streams of education.  In fact,most of Malaysian Chinese schools are also having many students from the non-Chinese community as their parents belief that the education system is good for their future generations than the national schools where the language of teaching is in the national Malay language except for the subject of English.  Let us not go into the flip-flop policy making by our Education and Cabinet Ministers on the subject of teaching Mathematics and Science in English.  One thing I will always be proud of our fellow Malaysians of non-Chinese origins who have sent their children to Chinese Schools and their children are able to speak Mandarin or local dialects like Hokkien and Cantonese with their Chinese friends.  I salute you. You are worth two men' minds in this world. I myself have not studied in Chinese vernacular schools and is a "Buta Huruf"(Chinese Letters Blind). 

Although the Malaysian Chinese and Indian community have been contributing to the commerce and welfare of our beloved Negaraku (My Country), Malaysia, long before the British granted the Independence to Malaya and Sabah and Sarawak, the community cannot depend on the Malaysian Government to build the Chinese and Tamil schools.  The irony is that the Chinese community is contributing a very high percentage of taxes collected by the government but it only get chicken feed in return from the government to set up the Chinese schools. The Tamil schools were mostly built by the plantation owners who employed the estate workers to tend to the plantations in the past decades.

Even to get the approval to build a school have to go through so much bureaucracies and politicking.  The Chinese school is usually equipped with a cement basketball court which also double up as the assembly ground but seldom have football field.  Mind you, the Chinese school students and youths have contributed to the National Basketball team at the SEA Games and other international tournaments as the training ground for our national basketball players.  It is hard to find a good footballer from a Chinese or Tamil school in the likeness of our former national heroes "Towkay" YB Datuk Soh Chin Aun from Malacca or Striker James Wong from Sabah. or famous Spiderman Goalkeeper Arumugam .Most of today's Chinese and Tamil schools do not have enough land space for football field. The National schools which the Government fully financed will have a big football field and all other sports facilities.  In my old primary and secondary national schools back in Perlis, I am blessed to have the green-green cow-grass fields as large as two football fields to run and roam about during the physical exercise lessons. This was where we had former National players from Perlis, Bakri Ibni and Saidin Osman in the good old days when our "Harimau Malaya"(Malayan Tigers) was now the "Harimau Lagenda" (Legends).

Do the students from the Chinese or Tamil schools performed academically and excel in sports better than the national schools? Are the quality of the education systems in the various type of schools in Malaysia measured by the money poured into by the Government and staffing plus facilities? What is our Education Minister and the Ministry going to do to improve the overall education in Malaysia for the benefits of all Malaysians?  On one level, we are trying to promote ourselves as the the regional education hubs but we neglected and failed to promote a meritocracy and equal opportunities for all Malaysians.  We cannot blame the British for leaving a legacy for neglecting the poor as the nation has been ruled by our Malaysian forefathers and current government over 50 years. Even our Universities' ranking have dropped.  What is happening?

Must the Chinese and Indian communities have to beg for allocations of funding and licenses for the Chinese and Tamil Schools from the Malaysian governments each time there is a General Election coming?  Are we not One Malaysia for Malaysians? Is there a caste system in our Malaysian family. Or we are only one and united in spirit in sports only when we can shine under the glitter of glory being world champions? When will we see the day when the Government treats all Malaysians and Made-In-Malaysia products (including students and graduates from these schools) like its slogan One Malaysia. Or are we only interested to promote the cow farmings(NFC) to incur losses of millions of Ringgit and thereby wastage of Malaysian People's funds as highlighted by the Auditor-General reports. The latest no brain-er project to sell and export frozen Durian to the People of Republic of China. I leave it to you. 

There are primary and secondary Chinese schools in most major towns in Malaysia. Is there a Minister from the Chinese or Indian community or better still a visionary Malay Education Minister who dare to ask the PM and his cabinet to set up a Chinese or Indian University in Malaysia so that we can have the Chinese from the mainland China and Indians from India to study in Malaysia so that we can have a more balance trade with them and earn their currency exchange from the education industry and prevent our outflow of funds since many Malaysians have been going to their countries to study medicines and other courses in the past.  We can import their expertise of highly qualified academicians to teach our people and reduce the brain drain.  Who knows, we can learn to build rockets,space shuttle and stations from the Chinese to send our Angkasawan (Malaysian Astronaut) to the Moon and orbit the Earth and Mars instead of riding on a Russian rocket while we can learn from the Indians on computer programming and cow farming (see the you tube here contributed by PeteMcCormack2)?

Is this just my One Malaysia ideal dream and will remain a dream till the cow come home?
What is your say, PM  Y.A.B. DATO' SRI HJ. MOHD. NAJIB BIN TUN HAJI ABDUL RAZAK
PRIME MINISTER, MINISTER OF FINANCE and his deputy,  Y.A.B. TAN SRI DATO' HAJI MUHYIDDIN BIN MOHD. YASSIN
DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER, MINISTER OF EDUCATION?

You may be interested to learn a little information from the link here to Matrade's statistics on our Malaysia's Trade Performance from January  to September 2011.

Here is a resource link to Center for International Development at Harvard University for your reading.

Another resources from Centre for Malaysia Chinese Studies

Notice for the public

Canteen

show classroom

E-learning facility at classroom

Lion Dance at Ground breaking ceremony

VVIPs including Dato Sri Dr Ng Yen Yen & Datuk Ir Dr Wee Ka Siong at the ground breaking ceremony

From Jln Kota Permai going  to Jln Song Ban Kheng

Side view from Kota Permai where the work in progress

The assembly hall on the 1st floor of the administration block

Wooden parquet floor for the stage

The assembly hall

Library area

Boys washroom

Girls washroom

A view from the school towards Kota Permai