Its my buddy's birthday today. Cant join them for the celebration today since I am so far away. So, just a plain wish. "Happy Birthday bro"
KUCHING: Datuk Amar Laila Taib, wife of Sarawak Chief Minister Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud, died at her residence at Demak Jaya, Jalan Bako here at 3.40pm yesterday. She was 68.
Family sources said Laila, Sarawak’s First Lady who was born in Poland, had battled cancer for the past few months.
Laila and Taib celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary at a hotel here three months ago.
At that occasion, Taib paid a glowing tribute to Laila as his pillar of strength and source of inspiration.
He said Laila had stood by him through thick and thin throughout his career as a politician.
Laila and Taib have four children including Deputy Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Sulaiman Abdul Rahman Taib. The others are Datuk Mahmud Bekir Taib, Jamilah Hamidah Taib and Hanifah Hajar Taib.
Laila will be laid to rest at Demak Jaya burial ground at 11.30am today, said Deputy State Secretary Datuk Mohamad Morshidi Abdul Ghani in a statement.
He said those who wished to pay their last respects should do so before 11am.
Sarawak Governor Tun Abang Muhammed Salahuddin, visiting Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin and state cabinet ministers were among the first to pay their last respects last evening.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak is also expected to attend Laila’s funeral.
Laila was actively involved in charitable, social, community and religious work through numerous non-governmental organisations (NGOs).
As founder and president of Sabati (Wives of the Sarawak Ministers and Assistant Ministers), she was instrumental in setting up the Sarawak Heart Foundation.
The foundation, of which she had been president since its formation, has raised millions of ringgit and sponsored many needy heart patients for surgeries and treatment in the country and abroad over the years.
Laila also helped to set up an orphanage home named after her in Petra Jaya here.
Laila was head of Perkim (the Muslim Welfare Organisation of Malaysia) women’s wing since 1980.
She also headed Regional Islamic Da’wah Council of Sourtheast Asia and the Pacific (Riseap) since 1983.
She was patron of the Malaysian Red Crescent Society Kuching Chapter, Persatuan Anak-Anak Yatim Sarawak, Sibu Kidney Foundation, Kuching Lions Nursing Home and Sarawak Single Mothers’ Association and Trustee of the Malaysian Humanitarian Foun dation.
Sitting in front of the computer, looking back on what have I did so far for today. I would call today as well spent, though not up to what I've pre-planned. But then, at least its a day not wasted. I've really been a time waster for the past 2 weeks, wasting much time without doing anything productive.
25th April, Saturday. Having changed plans to go down to city for noodles, a search for woodman point, a point protruding out to the sea which is visible in Google Earth is commenced.
I thought it will be something that will capture my breath. Who knows it turns out to be a man made sea barrier, something similiar to that in Hillarys Boat Harbor. Well, let the pictures do the talking then.
1.
2. Its actually a boat berth.... Clear waters?
3. A long stretch out to sea...
4. Detour-happenings in life....Knowing how to turn back means we'll be able to continue towards a longer journey...Else, ended in the waters.
-Notice the spots on the picture? Bloody dusts stuck on my lens..Luckily its not the image sensor after checking..
5. Carefree....
6.
8. I've been on this for the past few days...
9. Part of my gear..
10. SB-600 + Sony CyberShot 2500mAh
Well, its another Sunday, another week has passed. I can hardly catch up with time lately. Being lazy and sick is my reason. I guess I'll need to find some stimulant to kick start my working mood!.. Coming assignment due is on the 1st May, 4 days from now!...Finished most of it and that's why you can see me crapping here..
I guess I would brand today, Friday, 24th April 2009 as my most productive day in the whole week. One whole week I've been down with sickness. It begins with headache, fever then sorethroat. Its just because I refuse to take medicine that causes me to have a long recovery time!.. What a waste of time.
Thursday April 23, 2009
Whole supply chain will benefit, say hauliers
PETALING JAYA: The liberalisation of the services sub-sectors, including the regional distribution centre (RDC) and international procurement centre (IPC), will attract more foreign investors to Malaysia, which will benefit the whole supply chain.
Association of Malaysian Hauliers (AMH) president Datuk Ahmad Shalimin Shaffie said the move was timely due to the drop in cargo volume which was affecting every player in the whole supply chain, including haulage.
The haulage business suffered a 40% decrease in volume in February on year-on-year basis but it has slowly picked up in March and April.
“The liberalisation has made Malaysia more attractive to foreign investors coupled with our world standard infrastructure. With the move, more multinational companies are expected to set up their operations here.
“The move is also in line with Asean’s trade liberalisation which will be implemented soon,” he said.
The RDC is a collection and consolidation centre for finished goods, components and spare parts to be distributed within or outside Malaysia. Among the value-added activities involved are bulk breaking, repackaging and relabelling.
The IPC undertakes procurement and sale of raw materials, components and finished goods for the local and international market.
Malaysian Logistics Council founding member Dr Mohamed Amin Kassim said that while the liberalisation of the RDC and IPC was good to attract more foreign investors to the country, the incentive should be extended to the logistics sector as well.
In the shipping sector, E.A. Technique (M) Sdn Bhd managing director Datuk Abdul Hak Mohd Amin welcomed the Government’s decision to liberalise certain segments of the industry.
“In the future, we may see large international shipping companies setting up their regional headquarters in Malaysia,” he said.
The liberalisation included rental or leasing services of ships which exclude cabotage and offshore trade as well as bareboat charter for international shipping.
I'm currently down with sickness and is so reluctant to do anything. 2nd day wasted after yesterday. Whole body aching plus with headache really makes me felt so reluctant to do anything. I'd just hope that sufficient rest will get me back on track!!
In Vietnam, New Fears of a Chinese 'Invasion'
By MARTHA ANN OVERLAND / HANOI Thursday, Apr. 16, 2009
Thirty years ago, Vietnamese soldiers waged a final, furious battle in the hills of Lang Son near the country's northern border to push back enemy troops. Both sides suffered horrific losses, but Vietnam eventually proclaimed victory. Decades later, diplomatic relations have been restored and the two nations, at least in public, call each other friend. Vietnam's former foe is a major investor in the country, bilateral trade is at an all-time high, and tourists, not troops, are pouring in.
No, not Americans. Chinese. As part of an aggressive effort to expand its commercial and political influence in Southeast Asia, China is investing heavily in Vietnam. Chinese companies are now involved in myriad road projects, mining operations and power plants. Yet, despite the fact that cooperation between the two communist countries is being encouraged by Vietnam's leaders, this friendly invasion does not sit well among a people who have been fighting off Chinese advances for more than a thousand years, most recently in 1979. Many in Vietnam worry that China is being handed the keys not just to their country's natural resources but also to sensitive strategic areas, threatening the nation's security. "The danger is that China has won most of the bids building electricity, cement and chemical plants," warns Nguyen Van Thu, the chairman of Vietnam's Association of Mechanical Industries. "They eat up everything and leave nothing." (See pictures of the border war between China and Vietnam.)
Thu says he suspects some Chinese companies have won construction contracts by submitting lowball bids, which could mean they are cutting corners, threatening quality and safety. But Thu's biggest concern is the influx of large numbers of Chinese workers, including cooks and cleaning staff, that are taking jobs from Vietnamese and threatening the country's social stability. "Chinese contractors bring everything here, even the toilet seats!" declares Thu. "These are materials Vietnam can produce, and work that Vietnamese can do."
The latest lightning rod for anti-Chinese sentiment is Hanoi's plan to allow subsidiaries of the Aluminum Corporation of China (Chinalco) to mine bauxite ore in Vietnam's Central Highlands. Bauxite is a key ingredient in aluminum, which China needs to fuel its construction industry. Vietnam has an estimated eight billion tons of high-quality bauxite, the third-largest reserves in the world. The environmental cost of extracting the mineral, however, can be high. Strip mining is efficient, but scars the land and bauxite processing releases a toxic red sludge that can seep into water supplies if not adequately contained. Several senior Vietnamese scientists as well as Vietnam's burgeoning green movement have questioned the wisdom of giving mining rights to China, whose own mines were shut down because of the massive damage they caused to the environment.
But the real opposition appears to have less to do with the environment and more to do with Vietnam's fear of its neighbor on the country's northern border. Nationalist groups accuse Hanoi of caving in to pressure from commodities-hungry China by allowing the mining project to go forward. Bloggers are whipping up fears that the influx of Chinese workers is part of Beijing's long-term strategy to occupy their country. Banned pro-democracy groups, which are happy for any opportunity to criticize the authoritarian government, call the mining venture an "ill-begotten scheme." Earlier this month, a dissident Buddhist monk, Thich Quang Do, said that strip mining will destroy the way of life of the region's ethnic minorities. He added that the project created "an illustration of Vietnam's dependence on China." There has been no such outcry against U.S. aluminum giant Alcoa's plans to mine two sites in Dak Nong province in the Central Highlands.
Perhaps the most unexpected criticism has come from General Vo Nguyen Giap, a revered Vietnamese military leader who helped defeat the French and later the Americans. In a letter to Vietnam's Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, the 97-year-old war hero voiced concern over the presence of large numbers of Chinese in the Central Highlands, which is a strategic gateway to Vietnam, one where battles have been won and lost.
Other countries in the region are made uneasy by China's thirst for resources. Last month, the Australian government rejected a $1.8 billion bid by Chinese mining company Minmetals to acquire debt-ridden OZ Minerals, the world's second-biggest zinc miner, due to national security concerns. OZ Minerals has operations near Australia's Woomera weapons testing site.
The Hanoi government says it is listening to concerns but it appears to be unmoved. Dung recently declared bauxite mining a "major policy of the party and the state." Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai reaffirmed the government's support, and several local provincial officials were on hand at a recent mining conference to defend the project, arguing that despite the presence of the Chinese workers, development will benefit the impoverished ethnic minorities who live in the region.
The pressure on Vietnam to proceed as planned is enormous, says Carl A. Thayer, a Vietnam expert who teaches at the University of New South Wales' Australian Defense Force Academy. Vietnam needs to trade with China, the world's third-largest economy, to survive. Thayer acknowledges that no Chinese company operates independently of the government. "If you go up far enough you will find a military or a security connection," he says. "But Chinese occupation? I don't believe that."
Some of the problems are of Vietnam's own making, observes Thayer. The country has become increasingly dependent on foreign direct investment to buoy its economy. Last year, overseas investors sunk a record $11.5 billion into Vietnam. China last year had 73 investment projects worth $334 million in the country. But in the wake of the global recession, foreign direct investment plummeted 70% in the first quarter of 2009 compared to the same time period last year.
Hanoi has been calling for increased investment, and is even more desperate for external cash infusions now that its economy has flatlined. Vietnam has also racked up a massive trade deficit with China. As more Chinese companies venture across the border and sink millions into new investment projects, Hanoi can't dictate all the terms. Nor can they just close the spigot. "The Vietnamese have to be careful of what they wish for," says Thayer.
What a short morning class. Woke up exceptionally early this morning to start the second half of the semester with a morning tutorial scheduled at 0830hrs. Reached Uni around 0800 to avoid the parking hassle and guess what, tutorial started at 0830hrs and ended by 0900hrs. How short it was.
Only a short weekly presentation was given and thereafter, our mid semester exam paper results was given out. Results was quite good though I thought I would have get a full mark if I've not left earlier during the exams.
Well, I should be happy with that!..
Went straight home after that and here I am in front of my lagging laptop blogging. I just dont know what I cant multitask anymore on this machine. It seems to be so lagging if I were to run multiple pages on Internet Explorer coupled with Microsoft Office. Gotta change this machine soon I guess. Too old to support my needs. Stay tuned for what machine I am getting!.. I'll be ordering it later after I finished my preparation work for tomorrow's lecture!..
Have a nice day!
Day dreaming,
deviating from my intended path,
for the past 2 weeks,
It's finally the time to wake up,
Wake up from my dream,
A dream that is far impossible,
Too close to the word ridiculous.
I've taken the courage,
to make things clear.
I know this sounds ridiculous,
But thank you for being straight with me,
and having the generousity to accept my straightness.
Doubts are cleared,
you've awaken me from my dream.
Thank you.
If it wasn't for the time that doesnt comes right,
will things work out?
I really wonder.....
Whatever it is,
Thank you for still being a friend.
Perhaps I'm the one who is thinking too much,
Its lessons I've learnt from the past that makes me think this way.
Perhaps its true that I should really wake UP from this day dream,
and get on with life which I'm supposed to be doing with
and not hurting anyone more!
Stupid thoughts in the middle of the night yeah?
Mid semester break activity 2 - Pizza at Mundaring. Four of us went to the infamous Little Caesar's at Mundaring to get another taste of the pizza. Me, Cindy, Sing Joo and Paul. All of them never went there except for me. This is my 4th visit here....
Weather was fine that night but then it was frezzingly COLD!....Somemore we are sitted beside the road, indulging the road dust flew whenever huge road trailers pass by!...I really like those trailers+trailers hauled by a single prime mover here.. It'll be nice if we could have that back in Malaysia!
1.
2.
3.Two of them look cute yea?
4. Paul!...Why look at the pizza that way? Hungry just eat lar!
Well, I would say that this week isnt that well spent as compared to last. However, I'm glad that I've already got most of the materials for one of my major assignment. Only thing left for it is to put it into words....
Things or knowledge that is purposely kept away from you will sometime find ways to get within your horizon of knowledge, to be realised.
I've got to know a knowledge that is purposely kept away from me just today. I know that you wouldnt want me to worry but then as it is, things wont be kept in secrecy for a long period of time. I know that I cant help or do much since I am here but then at least let me know of any critical changes. Like what happened just today. I guess you wouldn't have thought that this news would come to me from my buddy working there. Well, secrecy wont last as long as there is more than 1 person knowing the knowledge.
I am not trying to blame you or anything here. But then I dont want to be kept in the dark anymore like what happened for Jenny's case last year. Well, I just hope that everything can be carried out smoothly as usual without the prescence of Liew. Please...keep me informed. I've made it clear to myself already. I'm clear that my mission during my prescence here in Perth is to complete my Logistics study asap and to get back to get things started. So, I'd still need to know what is happening back there and not get another surprise when I get back half a year later. SOmetimes I guess in life we just cant consider what other people may think of our act. Being considerate to others doesnt means that they'll be considerate to us in return. So, as long as we have our objective clear, decisions cannot be wrong or deviate far from what we wanted it to be. Firing someone isnt that cruel as long as we can prove that the person cannot meet the required requirements! WE ARENT A CHARITY ORGANIZATION! Enough of this charity stuffs...
Well, I guess that's all I'd wanted to shout out here.....Just felt so uneasy when I get to know the news from another person shortly just now.
As for all of you who are reading this, I've got a job advertisement here:
Position: Assistant Administration Clerk
Working Place: Independent Oil Terminal (IOT) Senari, Sejingkat Kuching
Requirements:
SPM/STPM/Diploma Holder with basic computing knowledge and basic command of English.
Main Post Attraction:
Chance to deal and have a hands on experience with Shell LPG Filling Operations.
Please kindly email me or leave me a message if any of you or your friends are seeking for a job.
Japanese man on world tour pedals 143,000km over 123 countries
PETALING JAYA: Mind over body — that best describes Daisuke Nakanishi’s ability to cycle over 143,000km since starting out his “world tour” over a decade ago.
He arrived here by air from Sri Lanka on Thursday, and duly cycled from the KL International Airport to Kuala Lumpur where he spent the night.
He has been using the same trusty bicycle since starting out on his mission in Anchorage, Alaska, way back in 1998.
He has endured 300 tyre punctures and replaced the tyres 76 times, as he pedalled through 123 countries in all.
The Economics graduate from Osaka worked for six years in a construction company after graduating and saved US$50,000 (RM175,000) before embarking on a mission to realise his childhood dream.
“It is simply fascinating to feel the wind on my face when I cycle.
“I feel so free when I am on my two wheels. No one can control me, I can go anywhere I want,’’ Nakanishi said during a brief interview at Menara Star here where he had cycled to.
The 39-year-old single, who speaks English, Spanish and a smattering of Portuguese, left Japan on July 23, 1998, to take on the challenge of pedalling across the world.
Since then, his two-wheeler has been his mobile home. He carries cooking equipment, a sleeping bag, tent and spare parts for his bicycle in seven bags.
Nakanishi puts up the tent whenever he wants to call it a day, and in some countries like Chile, the locals invited him to spend the night in their homes.
“In Europe, the hotel rates are very expensive so I travelled out of the city and slept inside my tent” said the tanned Nakanishi, who confessed to eating all kinds of food in his travels.
From here, Nakanishi will be cycling to Johor Baru en route to Singapore, from where he will head to Indonesia.
His cycling gear is only made up of a T-shirt, Bermuda shorts and a hat.
On his first visit to Kuala Lumpur, he said the city was well-developed compared to many others he had pedalled to.
“I also enjoy the local food. It is very delicious,’’ said Nakanishi, who stayed in Petaling Street in his stop here.
During his travels, Nakanishi has had the good fortune to meet with world leaders and interesting personalities, such as Nepali president Dr Ram Baran Yadav, football icon Pele, former US president Jimmy Carter, former Polish president Lech Walesa and the late Sir Edmund Hillary, the first person to conquer Mount Everest.
Made an honorary citizen of Peru, Bolivia, Venezuela and Moldova, the Japanese also endured bad experiences , such as contracting malaria in Kenya and children throwing stones at him in Ethiopia.
“Not once did I think of giving up. In fact, I am looking forward to moving on and seeing other countries,’’ he added.
There are, however, countries that he wishes to visit such as Saudi Arabia and Libya but failed to apply for the visa.
Nakanishi also had to abandon his visits to Congo, Angola, Iraq and Afghanistan due to civil wars and internal conflicts.
He said he would visit about seven more countries by the year-end before wrapping up his tour.
“My parents and elder brother are waiting for me in Japan,
“I miss my family very much. Sometimes I’ll send them postcard and keep in touch with them via Internet and email,” he said.
To know more about his travels, visit http://www.daisukebike.be which is translated in 14 languages.
What did we had during the long Easter weekend? Our original plan was to go down to Esperance. But due to last minute booking, all accomodations are fully booked. So, weekend was pretty boring except going for Good Friday mass and also Sunday mass.
So on Saturday, we had a '36A Wyndham' Outing to Hillarys. We had our lunch at Good Fortune at 3pm, then head to Paul's place at Hillary's for a Barbeque session that lasted until that night around 11...
The new Malaysian Cabinet, under the lead of Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak is finally sworn in. Its a smaller one as compared to the previous cabinet. Let's hope there would be a change of tide under this new administration to take Malaysia to higher heights. Not forgetting Vision 2020, let's hope it can be realized.
Its Good Friday tomorrow.
