Our 2 girls back in 2001

Browsing through my old hard disk I found these photos of Aini & Aina... back in 2001, how time flies

X-mas eve at Kalumpang resort

My better half is away to Aloq Staq this weekend so I followed my sister's family to a little known resort in Kalumpang, with my 3 little terrors and Thoriq in tow. Nice little place with a river flowing through it. The facilities are not too bad. We get a little chalet with a bathroom and and an attic (which has 1 queen bed on the ground floor and 3 mattresses in the attic) all for RM 100 a night. The children didn't have enough courage to go down into the river on the 1st day, mainly because it was raining before we reached the resort and the river was flowing too fast for their liking. Fortunately the next morning it is better and they finally get to swim in the river with their uncle. Me? No way, I am not the 'taking bath in the river type'. Too cold lah.

Its only about 45 minutes from Sg Buloh rest area, take the exit at Tanjung Malim and take the right after the toll plaza. After that it is about 5 km going down to Kuala Kubu.

More China made cars coming

Tuesday December 20, 2005
Alado Bumi Automobile targets to sell 2,000 Chery cars next year (The STAR)

ALADO Bumi Automobile Sdn Bhd, the exclusive importer of Chery's completely-built-up vehicles from China, aims to sell 2,000 units of Chery A160 next year. Alado Bumi president Tan Sri Cam Soh Thiam Hong told StarBiz yesterday. He said the four-cylinder 1.6-litre Chery A160 was priced at between RM59,444 and RM61,496. He said Chery buyers would get two years' free maintenance including oil, filter and labour charge. Approval to import the model was finally given last month. Soh said sister company Alado Corp Sdn Bhd had also received approval to import completely knocked down (CKD) Chery vehicles next year. He said the CKD units would only be available in the middle of next year. On Chery’s SUV and MPV, Soh said they would be priced below RM100,000 each.

Foto:Malcolm Bricklin, left, and Chery President Yin Tongyao plan to introduce this station wagon and other vehicles to the U.S.

So another car maker trying to get another piece of cake from the already crowded car market. The A160 is not too bad. I read somewhere that Chery had some issues with GM and got into legal tangle but I think it must be resolved now that the car is finally coming to our shores. GM is suing Chery over the QQ (see the Alado Malaysia website), a mini car that GM claims Chery copied from GM-Daewoo’s Matiz, that we know in Malaysia as Chevrolet Spark. To add insult to injury, according to recently-released sales data, during the first 7 months of 2005, Chery QQ sold 61,633 units compared to Chevrolet Spark’s 15,912 units.

I am more impressed with the MPV seen in the foto above with the Chery President. If it is really priced below RM 100k, then NAZA Citra and RIA better be on the lookout. The KIAs and HYUNDAIs exposed a few chinks in the Japanese cars armour, maybe this time its the China cars turn. Value is the hook, however. Prototypes of the Chery's models have been designed by renowned Italian designer Bertone. The curvy, sleek vehicles are aimed at going head-to-head with every major automaker -- from Subaru to BMW -- at a fraction of the price.

Maybe our own carmaker should take note of this and along the way bring down the car prices, making it more affordable and lo and behold, increase the sagging sales. No point paying millions for a British brand that is going down the drain, nor I don't think it is a good idea buying a motorbike company that Tom Cruise use in Mission Impossible 2. On the other hand I think it was brilliant of them to sponsor Norwich City FC. I guess they manage to build up some form of a brand name. Maybe thats why Tony Fernandes's Air Asia took up the courage to sponsor Manchester United. Brave and bold move and I am sure it burnt a big black hole in their pocket. Kudos to him, with not much of government subsidy they are not too far behind in value with our local carrier. Gosh I am moving too far out of the topic.

Visit of P.T. Krama Yudha Tiga Berlian Motors

Well basically the company P.T. Krama Yudha Tiga Berlian Motors is Mitsubishi Motors Corporation's sales company in Indonesia. They arrived in Malaysia to check out on the 2 big moulds we are doing for the MITSUBISHI TRUCKS. They are visiting a few vendors in Malaysia over the next few days and our company is one of them. We had quite a long meeting, being Japanese the attention to details is understandable and we had to go over the final schedule over and over again until they are satistied. We thought the meeting will last maximum of 2 hours but in the end the meeting lasted about 4 hours. At long last the KTB guys are satisfied and off they go to Penang. See you guys on Thursday then.

The Power Of Love - FGTH

The Power Of Love by Frankie Goes To Hollywood

I'll protect you from the hooded claw,Keep the vampires from your door
Feels like fire,I'm so in love with you
Dreams are like angels,They keep bad at bay-bad at bay
Love is the light,Scaring darkness away-yeah
I'm so in love with you,Purge the soul
Make love your goal

The power of love,A force from above
Cleaning my soul,Flame on burn desire
Love with tongues of fire,Purge the soul
Make love your goal

I'll protect you from the hooded claw,Keep the vampires from your door
When the chips are down I'll be around,With my undying, death-defying
Love for you,Envy will hurt itself
Let yourself be beautiful,Sparkling love, flowers
And pearls and pretty girls,Love is like an energy
Rushin' rushin' inside of me

This time we go sublime,Lovers entwine-divine divine
Love is danger, love is pleasure,Love is pure-the only treasure
I'm so in love with you,Purge the soul
Make love your goal,The power of love
A force from above,Cleaning my soul
The power of love,A force from above
A sky-scraping dove,Flame on burn desire
Love with tongues of fire,Purge the soul
Make love your goal

Who the %*$# is FGTH?

To the uninitiated, they are Frankie Goes To Hollywood http://www.fgth.org.uk/ who were notorious back in the 80's. Frankie Goes to Hollywood dominated British music in 1984. What really distinguished the group was not their music, but their marketing campaign. With a series of slogans, T-shirts, and homoerotic videos, the band caused enormous controversy in England and managed to create some sensations in the United States. However, the Frankie sensation was finished as soon as it was started; by the release of their second album, Liverpool, in 1986, the group's audience had virtually disappeared. Based in Liverpool, Frankie Goes to Hollywood formed in 1980, comprising ex-Big in Japan vocalist Holly Johnson, vocalist Paul Rutherford, guitarist Nasher Nash, bassist Mark O'Toole, and drummer Peter Gill. Originally called Hollycaust, but they changed their name to Frankie Goes to Hollywood -- taken from an old headline about Frank Sinatra's acting career -- by the end of the year. The band didn't make anything of note until 1982, when they appeared on the British television program The Tube with a rough version of the video for "Relax." The appearance attracted attention from several record labels as well as record producer Trevor Horn. Horn contacted the band and signed them to his label, ZTT. Late in 1983, Frankie's first single, the Horn-produced "Relax"/"Ferry Cross the Mersey," was released. A driving dance number, "Relax" featured sexually suggestive lyrics that would soon lead to great controversy. Around the time of the release of "Relax," Frankie's promotional director, Paul Morley, a former music journalist, orchestrated a massive, intricate marketing campaign that soon paid off in spades. Morley designed T-shirts that read "Relax" and "Frankie Says...," which eventually appeared across the country. The "Relax" video was banned by British TV and a new version was shot. Similarly, Radio 1 banned the single and the rest of the BBC radio and television networks quickly banned the record as well. Consequently, "Relax" shot to number one in January of 1984 and soon sold over a million copies. Frankie's second single, the political "Two Tribes," was released in June of 1984. The single, which was also produced by Trevor Horn, entered the charts at number one; it went gold in seven days. "Two Tribes" stayed at number one for nine weeks and eventually sold over a million copies. While it was on the top of the charts, "Relax" went back up the charts, peaking at number two.
Welcome to the Pleasuredome, the band's Trevor Horn-produced debut double album, entered the U.K. charts at number one and their third single, the ballad "The Power of Love," also reached number one. Welcome to the Pleasuredome reached at number 33 in early 1985 in the U.S., prompting the re-release of "Relax"; this time around, it made it into the American Top Ten.

Udin in bad mood

Nude woman in ear squats video clip is a local Malay

http://www.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2005/12/14/nation/12861457&sec=nation

KUALA LUMPUR: The woman who was filmed doing ear squats naked in a police locker room was not a Chinese national but a local Malay.

Well finally the secret identity is revealed. Now suddenly the DAP and MCA guys are not interested anymore just because it is a known fact that the mystery woman is not the Chinese national it was said to be. Does that mean it is ok for a Malay woman to be forced nude in the police lock up? I begin to wonder the real motive behind the 'noise' made by those parties on the nude girl issue. Is it related to the news a few weeks ago that more than 50,000 Chinese national entered the country but did not leave.Taking the words from a Mr Aziz Hassan in his letter to NST: What about the directive to flush them out? Has this been overtaken by events, considering how we appear to be bending backwards to appease China? Was it not just months ago that we read stories of how girls from China were involved in the flesh trade while under the pretext of being waitresses and hostesses at restaurants and bars along the coastline? Was it not serious enough for local housewives to complain to their local MCA representatives to take up the case on their behalf because their marriages were under threat?What do we do the next time and everytime another foreign national alleges mistreatment by us? Despatch another minister to Nigeria, Iran, Russia, India, Myanmar, Vietnam and Indonesia? We have apologised even before most of the facts of the case, especially the nationality of the woman, have yet to be determined and there have been calls for more apologies. What if the probe finds that many of the “facts” were wrong? Will anyone have the decency to apologise to the police? One doubts.

Woman in clip recalls incident at police station
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2005/12/14/nation/12859406&sec=nation
KUALA LUMPUR: The woman at the centre of the inquiry into the naked ear squat video clip was arrested in June for drug possession. She told the Commission of Inquiry yesterday that police arrested her at a primary school in Damansara Jaya, Selangor, at 1am on June 29 on suspicion of having the drug syabu.
The petite woman whose identity was withheld by the commission started her testimony at 9.45am, saying that she was “a 22-year-old Malaysian of Malay descent”.

Describing the events on the day she was arrested, she said: “I was brought to the Damansara Utama police station and later to the Petaling Jaya police station.”
At the Petaling Jaya station, a policewoman told her to take a urine test. “After the test, I was taken to a room with many lockers and was told to strip. Then I was told to do ear squats to make sure that nothing was hidden on my body. I did that facing the policewoman who was standing at the closed door. I did less than 10 squats. I felt shamed and angry. Then I was told to put on my clothes. My hair was tied up in a ponytail,” she said. She said that while putting on her clothes, she faced away from the policewoman and was not aware if there was a window nearby.

PEREMPUAN LAWA VS PEREMPUAN TAK LAWA

Got this from my mailing list....

"Kalau perempuan lawa pendiam,Lelaki akan cakap:: woow, ciri-ciri isteri idaman...
kalau perempuan tak lawa pendiam,Lelaki akan cakap: eh tak reti komunikasi betul...

kalau perempuan lawa berbuat jahat,Lelaki akan kata: musti ada krisis dalamannih...kesian
kalau perempuan tak lawa berbuat jahat, Lelaki akan cakap: dah la tak lawa, perangai pulak huduh...

kalau perempuan lawa menolong Lelaki ygdiganggu, Lelaki akan cakap: heroin sejati...!
kalau perempuan tak lawa menolong Lelaki yangdiganggu, Lelaki akan kata: taktik nak ngorat le tu...

kalau perempuan lawa dapat Lelaki hensem,Lelaki akan kata: ok gak la....
kalau perempuan tak lawa dapat Lelaki hensem,Lelaki akan kata: kesian..mesti kena bomoh lelakituh!

kalau perempuan lawa ditinggal kekasih, Lelaki akan kata: buta kayu betul mamat tu....
kalau perempuan tak lawa ditinggal kekasih,Lelaki akan kata:...patut pun kena reject...

kalau perempuan lawa penyayang binatang,Lelaki akan cakap: perasaannya halus...penuh kasih sayang
kalau perempuan tak lawa penyayang binatang,Lelaki akan cakap: sesama keluarga memangharus menyayangi...

kalau perempuan lawa bawa BMW,Lelaki akan cakap: ntah dato' mana bela nih.... kalau perempuan tak lawa bawa BMW, Lelaki akan cakap: musti anak org kaya nih.....

kalau perempuan lawa tak mau bergambar,Lelaki akan cakap: pasti takut kalau2 gambarnya tersebar
kalau perempuan tak lawa tak mau bergambar Lelaki akan kata: sedar pun diri...

kalau perempuan lawa menuang air ke gelas lelaki,Lelaki akan cakap: caring sungguh....
kalau perempuan tak lawa menuang air ke gelaslelaki,Lelaki akan cakap: nak tunjuk caring le tu....

kalau perempuan lawa bersedih hati,Lelaki akan cakap: dont worry..i will make u happy forever
kalau perempuan tak lawa bersedih hati,Lelaki akan kata: sikit2 nak nangis!! mengada2...

kalau perempuan lawa masak ,Lelaki akan kata: dah la lawa, pandai masak pulaktu...
kalau perempuan tak lawa masak,Lelaki akan cakap: ntah sedap ke tak????

dan yang terbaru:

kalau perempuan lawa kena tangkap kes dadah kat Bali ,lelaki semua akan ada belas kesian
Kalau perempuan lawa kena ketuk ketampi dalam lokap polis, semua orang nak ambil tahu "

Night view

Foto of MONAS (Monumen Nasional)

At last something other than Padang food

Finally I tried something other than Padang food, I guess if I keep on eating padang food my heart surgeon friend will be more than happy to have me under his knife.

We had lunch at Dapur Sunda, a nice restaurant serving good Sundanese food, well at least my stomach did not reject it. Dapur Sunda (Sundanese Kitchen) is well known for its traditional West Javanese menu that includes charcoal-grilled chicken, goldfish pepes (steamed fish wrapped in banana leaves) and a selection of traditional desserts and cocktails. It is located near Menteng not far from Maharadja Hotel.

Jakarta's big MACET

We missed the flight back to KL on Wed. The flight was at 1830, unfortunately we only arived at the Airport at 1930. I went to the MAS office at Sukarno-Hatta Airport, explained the situation and they gave me a new ticket for the next day, and it cost me nothing, it happened too many times they said.

It took us 4 hours to reach the airport when the normal journey time should be only 30-45 minutes. Traffic was at a standstill. I was told later its caused by flooding.

While waiting in the jam we saw a really packed train on the flyover, note the people sitting on the roof.

Trip to Jakarta

I had to go away to Jakarta on Sunday, took the evening flight and by nightfall checked into a dinghy Hotel Perdana. Our customer wanted the latest update on the moulds ordered from the Jkarta and Shah Alam factory. It seems that the Shah Alam moulds are at the advanced stage compared to the ones in Jakarta. After a long meeting with the guys from PT Krama Yudha Tiga Berlian we had take them around to one of our subsidiary's subcontractor to check on the latest development. After that its Nasi Padang time.

Khatam Quran - Aini

Aini did her Khatam Quran ceremony during my cousin's wedding in November. Taking cue from sahabah of our Rasullulah s.a.w. , Abdullah Ibn Abbas , one of his noted amalan is to attend Majlis Khatam Quran.The benefits to be present at such a gathering is manifolds.According to one Hadith,there will be 70,000 malaikat in attendance

" When the Quran is read, listen to it with attention, and hold your peace: that ye may receive Mercy. " Quran 7:204

The Khatam al-Quran marks the completion of reading of the entire Quran, the holy book of Islam. Aini , with her cousins, are required to read verses from the 30th and final section of the Holy Quran before his parents, his Quran teacher and invited guests. Once she completes her reading, she kisses the hands of his Quran teacher, and each of the guests in that order. She then descends from the dais (pelamin) where she was seated while reading the Quran, to join the prepared feast.

Allahummarhamni Bil QuranWaj’alhu lii Imaaman Wa Nuuran Wa Huda Wa RohmahAllahumma Dzakkirni Minhu maa NasiituWa’allimni Minhu maa JahiiltuWarzuqnii TilaawatahuAana Al Laili Wa Aana An NahaariWaj’alhu lii HujjatanYaa Rabbal ‘Alamin

Ya Allah Kasih Sayangilah dakudengan sebab AlQuran ini Dan jadikanlah AlQuran ini sebagai pemimpin sebagai cahaya sebagai petunjuk dan sebagai rahmat bagiku Ya Allah ingatkanlah daku apa-apa yang aku lupa dalam AlQuran yang telah Kau jelaskandan ajarilah apa-apa yang aku belum mengetahui Dan karuniailah daku selalu sempat membaca AlQuranpada malam dan siang hari Dan jadikanlah AlQuran ini sebagai hujjah bagikuYa Allah Tuhan semesta alam

The ceremony was followed by the wedding of my cousin. Which was a grand affair set in the colonial surrounding of old government quarters in Kuala Kubu Baru.

P/S: Aina n Aina even had the chance to pose with their favourite leading actor, Rosyam Nor who attended the wedding

Melayu oh melayu...

We've seen some negative comments about the Malays mushrooming on the net. This racial slur only underline the fact that underneath the racial harmony our leaders projected to the the world at large, there is a huge wave of discontent among races. Yes I do read those comments, sometimes we need a big jolt to help us open our eyes wide to realise it. Some comments like the one below.....

While the stupid malays scream and shout, the non-malays quietly dominate the economy of this country.

Malay rights means:

• if you are Umno malay, you get university seat even you are fool
• you must be given 5% discount whenever you are buying a new house-No matter how rich you are
• you must be given shares. Once you got, you can sell it to non-malay and asking for more shares
• it's the duty and responsibility of government to keep feeding with sliver
  spoon
• the malays will never learn anything other than blaming non-malays for their failure.
  
  And i always wonder y u guys build so many mosque for u guys dun even attend it...

I believe that in every race and culture there are always going to be good people and bad people. Most times we find more good than bad ones, unfortunately it is always because of the actions of the minority, the society as a whole is blamed for it. I would dismiss the notion that Malays are lazy. Malays are a hard working lot, just look at the paddy farmers, fishermen etc, the only snag is, low productivity and the idea of moderation, more like 'cukup makan sudahlah'.

A truly bangsa Malaysia by 2020? I don't think so, not yet.

MITSUOKA cars pulak dah

I was driving along jalan 222 P Jaya earlier today when I saw another foreign car showroom but this time its more like a classic car showroom. The brand name is Mitsuoka and I imagine it must be like the Bufori gang from Japan :) I am not too sure about the pricing though but it is aimed I think at the luxury car segment. It looks like the old Jag (see pic)

NATIONAL ACCOUNTANTS CONFERENCE 2005

Today is the first day of NATIONAL ACCOUNTANTS CONFERENCE 2005 at PWTC, Kuala Lumpur. As usual I have to attend it.

Its not so much about attending the event, I am only there to get the 16 CPE points. CPE being Continuing Professional Education, and I have to get the points every year as long as I want to be a member of MIA-Malaysian Institute of Accountants. MIA Member shall complete at least 20 CPE credit hours of structured CPE learning each year, this is to ensure the learning process doesn't stop once one qualified. That a small price to pay if one wants the initial CA(M) - Chartered Accountant (Malaysia) after one's name, oh yes not to forget the yearly fees too.

The 1st session was not too bad, by Hermawan Kartajaya, the President of World Marketing Association, one of the “50 Gurus Who Have Shaped The Future of Marketing” appointed by The Chartered Institute of Marketing, United Kingdom (CIM-UK) and has co authored a few books with Philip Kotler. So a marketing man advising accountants on how to rebrand the profession. He also showed us another way to appreciate Rod Steward's, "Have I told you lately" song.

Another interesting speaker Datin Paduka Sharifah Mazlina, the Malaysian Solo Expeditor who broke the world record by being the fastest person to cross Antarctic from South Pole to Hercules Inlet using ski sailing in 22 days. I was really impressed. MALAYSIA BOLEH.

Cemerlang.........?

Seen on the way from Alor Setar to Penang. I prefer to read it as Cemerlang, Gemilang, TEMBERANG

Mr DOKPE

Mr Muhammad Nuruddin DOKPE . What is DOKPE? When asked what it means, Nuruddin answered, "DOKPE tu, nak pergi mana". And I thought it means "dok buat apa", gosh, kids nowadays, they invent their own terms.

Of Federated Malays States

Going into history, I read this information on the flag of the Federated Malay States:

In 1895 a first Malay federation under a British protectorate was founded (including the four sultanates Perak, Selangor, Negri Sembilan, and Pahang). In 1905 a flag was introduced: horizontally white-red-yellow-black (each colour stands for one state, in the order listed here); in the center a lying oval in white with a running tiger.

Source: National Geographic 1917.
Title: Flags of the World (Our Flag Number)Medium: article
in a non-vexillological sourceMain author(s): Lt. Commander Byron McCandless; Gilbert GrosvenorLanguage: EnglishSource title: National Geographic MagazineSource number (date): Vol-XXXII No-4 (1917.10)Source pages: 281-420. In the back of the October 1917 issue of National Geographic, it was noted an advertisment that notes that the Flag Issue would be reprinted in both cloth and leather versions around December 1, 1917. The issue would be called Flags of the World

In 1946 other sultanates joined, and the Malay Union was founded, and two years later (1948) it was renamed the Malay Federation. In 1950 a new flag was introduced.
Jan Oskar Engene, 24 June 1996

In 1946 the British decided to do away with the pretence of protectorates and constitute the whole of Malaya / Singapore as a Crown Colony called the Union of Malaya. Very bad move, since face is all in the East. The Malayan Federation in 1948 restored the sultanates as protectorates within a federation with a High Commissioner. Penang, Malacca and Singapore were of course still sovereign British territory but were Settlements within the federation, with Resident Commissioners.
Andrew Yong, 13 November 1999

from http://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/my1905.html

More information on state anthem

Following the previous note on the Negaraku... I was informed that amongst other state anthems used have been the following as highlighted by a "Adlan Benan Omar" of MCOBA@yahoogroups.com,

Johor - Dondang Sayang (1897) lyrics by Capt Mohd SaidHaji Sulaiman (written 1910)

Selangor - Chantek Manis (1898) Raja Bot, replaced in1908 by Allah Selamatkan Duli Yang Maha Mulia (DOrtega) and in 1960 by Duli Yang Maha Mulia (current)

N. Sembilan - Bunga Tanjong (1898) Berkatlah Yangdi-Pertuan Besar (1911 - Andrew Caldecott)

Terengganu - Allah Peliharakan Raja Kami 1927 (HashimBakar)

Kelantan - Lanjutkan Usia Sultan Kami 1927 (MSMenezes)

Perlis - Amin Amin Ya Rabbal Jalil 1930 (Tuanku SyedHamzah Jamalullail)

Kedah - Allah Selamat Sultan Mahkota 1937 (JamesRedhill)

Pahang - Lagu Pahang 1923 (Mary Sworder)

begitulah ceritanya

Toll plaza, Penang Bridge. WELCOME TO PENANG 

To the peak of Penang Bridge 

Floating Mosque

Masjid terapung (its built on concrete stilt on water, so it appears to be floating).. on the way to Batu Feringhi, Penang

careful..... jatuh nanti :) 

Terowong MENORA

View from the NORTH Side, coming from Kuala Kangsar going to Ipoh and the Jelapang toll plaza

Dari Penang ke Kelang

Finally on thursday 6am we started our journey to Klang, from Batu Feringghi, Penang